In it, Jaco tells us that not only God exists, but he lives in Brussels. That is also where he created the world. Unfortunately, he is also horrible to his wife and twelve year old daughter. Indeed, we heard a lot of talking about his son, but we sort of forgot about the resourceful Ea, who does not appreciate living in a rotten building she has never left.
“Le tout Nouveau Testament is a choral film, with the structure of an epic,” the director explains, “The film is built up around frames, each character has its own story. The Daughter of God is the link between these people burned by life.”
This return to film is produced by Olivier Rausin for Climax, working together with Terra Incognita, the company owned by Jaco, but also with Caviar, Après le Déluge in France and Juliette in Luxembourg.
50 days of filming are scheduled this summer, of which fifteen in Belgium. Benoit Poelvoorde will play God, Yolanda Moreau his wife and a host of other more or less known actors will star alongside them, including a talented twelve year old girl, chosen after a long casting process by Michael Bier.
Of course, Le tout Nouveau Testament is not the only project selected during this special anniversary round. The other two projects are just as exciting and complete this diverse line-up.
Pilgrimage is an ambitious historical adventure film … from Ireland. Wrong Men North, a new company from Benoit Roland, co-produce in Belgium. The story follows the pilgrimage of a group of monks travelling through an island ripped apart by centuries of tribal wars and the rising power of the Normand invaders. The year is 1209 and Ireland is a savage island at the brink of the world. A very green island too. Unfortunately, nine centuries later the local vegetation has changed a lot and to find the luxurious green planes they needed the producers decided to film many epic scenes in Wallonia, where the forest areas have been much better preserved, thank God (no, not you Benoit). The shooting is scheduled for this autumn.
The third and last film to be co-financed by Wallimage is a feature length animation film. The Red turtle is an atypical project: it is a silent film, artistically ambitious, with potential for a rich career in festivals all over the world and success with juries awarding prizes such as the Césars. Ever since Brendan and the Secret of Kells, Wallimage dreams of Oscar ceremonies. Ernest and Celestine can testify that.
Of course, this was not the reason why the board of directors enthousiastically picked this film. Co-produced by Belvision, The Red Turtle will provide 460 days of work for a team of Belgian animators at Dreamwall. Part of the image lab and the sound lab will also take place here. Another shoot to liven up an already thriving industry!