A very ambitious project, co-produced in Belgium by Entre Chien et Loup, The Book of Vision follows the trajectory of Eva, a promising young doctor working in a Roman hospital, who decides to abandon her medical career to study the History of Medicine at an American university. There, she meets Kevin, an atypical tutor, and discovers in the school’s archives the story of an 18th century doctor who will fascinate her. To the point that, little by little, the eras are superimposed ; until they merge.
When it is specified that the director Carlo Hintermann worked on The Tree of Life and that his cinematographer Jörg Widmer is also a regular collaborator of Terrence Malick, you won’t be surprised to learn that the director of The Red Line will work here as executive producer. It is also true that this universe resembles his own like two drops of water.
The cast is equally fascinating with Carice van Houten (Melisandre in Game of Thrones), Jérémie Rénier and Gabriel Byrne. Each one of them plays two roles according to the eras addressed by the scenario. Twenty-two days of filming are planned in Wallonia with all the economic consequences that this entails.
Another very interesting European co-production by its originality and its requirement, Good Favour was brought to us by Wrong Men.
Good Favour will take the viewer into the heart of an isolated Christian community facing a crisis of faith, which will regain hope with the arrival of a mysterious boy with, perhaps, supernatural powers. The film is thus an exploration of the effects of religion on a community, its many contradictions and moral ambiguities, and the danger of misinterpretation or fundamentalism.
The particularity of this production of Irish origin will be to be shot entirely in Belgium, in the forests of the South East of our country. Like Pilgrimage, the previous collaboration between Savage Production (IRL) and Wrong Men, many Belgian technicians will be at work on this film, part of the post-production of which will take place in Wallonia. The casting will be Irish-Scandinavian-Belgian with many actors from our country in secondary roles.
Faced with these two productions clearly oriented towards festivals and a cinephile market, the Board of Wallimage has also decided to support two French productions that should be a hit in theaters.
Produced by Nexus Factory, Bras ouverts is the new feature film by Philippe de Chauveron, director of Qu’est-ce qu’on a fait au Bon Dieu. A very first degree comedy which mocks with good humour a bobo intellectual whose house is suddenly invaded by a Roma family. In the midst of promoting his new book, this herald of openness and tolerance has no choice but to make the best of it. But between words and deeds, he will discover that there is sometimes a gap. And this, even if the Roma integrate very quickly the different paradigms of the French identity.
The (co)production scheme proposed here is clearly the archetype of what Wallimage has always hoped for : a big French film, shot entirely in Wallonia with technical means, technicians and the Walloon technical industry solicited as never before. That is to say, very important expenses in the region. Unbeatable.
On a similar scheme and commercial ambition, uMedia has brought us a tempting film that is likely to hit the bull’s eye, Alexandre himself : a delirious comedy on a simple, but original and effective idea.
Without giving away the whole subject, here exploited with virtuosity in its smallest details, let’s say that the film follows the peregrinations of Alexander… who dies in the first minutes of this adventure to find himself reincarnated in the character closest to him at the time of his death. One can easily imagine the profit that an inspired scriptwriter can draw from this situation and the least we can say is that Hervé Jakubowicz and Dany Héricourt have given themselves a lot of pleasure to offer Manu Payet an unforgettable role that has a very good chance of being a hit in theaters.
Especially since by adding Grégoire Ludig, a comedian popular with the youngest(Babysitting) and Didier Bourdon (for the oldest), the producers have broadened their commercial spectrum. Entirely shot in Belgium, Alexandre himself will do part of his post-production in Wallonia.
The last project selected by the Board of Wallimage during this last session of the 2015/2016 season is a documentary emanating from the TV line of the regional fund. André Cools – A life, a destiny will start from the tragic death of the Walloon politician to trace the course of history by putting the man and his public career together. Directed by Daniel Remi, who made his debut on television on Devoir d’enquête, the project is produced by Les Films de la Passerelle with the RTBF’s documentary film department.
