08/01/2024 - The Belgian director is gearing up to kick off filming, in January, on his third feature film, an adaptation of a novel by Simon and Capucine Johannin

Director Laurent Micheli (© Aurore Engelen)

This month will see filming begin on Nino dans la nuit, an adaptation of Simon and Capucine Johannin’s much remarked-upon novel, written and directed by Belgian director Laurent Micheli. The latter made his name with his first feature film, the incredibly pop and experimental movie Even Lovers Get the Blues [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], before releasing Lola [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Laurent Micheli
film profile] in 2019, telling the story of a young transgender woman (played by transgender actress Mya Bollaers, who scooped the Magritte for Best Female Newcomer thanks to her performance) looking for peace within her family following her mother’s death.

In his adaptation, the director is once again exploring the turmoil of modern-day youth and their search for meaning in a daily life marked by precariousness. The story sees 20-year-old Nino Paradis successfully escaping an evening gone wrong, but after a failed attempt to join the Foreign Legion, he finds himself shambolically back at square one. Nino meets up with Lale, the woman who sets his heart ablaze, together with Malik and Charlie, his two partners in crime. From badly paid, rubbish odd jobs to nights full of drugs corresponding to all letters of the alphabet, Nino snatches a place for himself in a world which doesn’t seem obliging. But at what cost?

Micheli embarked on a lengthy casting process to find his protagonist, which ultimately led him to his Nino, young Belgian actor Oscar Högström, notably seen in The Chapel [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Dominique Deruddere
film profile]. Opposite him is young Belgian actress Mara Taquin, whose horizons are continually widening and who has recently been announced as one of the César Awards’ Revelations for her role in The Baby. Bilal Hassani is another surprise in the cast, a composer and actor in his first film role, and the film also stars Théo Augier, a familiar face on TV who also featured in A Radiant Girl [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile].

Laurent Micheli is reuniting with Belgian firm Wrong Men to produce his movie, an outfit which previously teamed up with him on Lola. Wrong Men look set to have their hands full in 2024, notably kicking off filming on two first feature films (L’Âge Mûr by Jean-Benoît Ugeux and Kika by Alexe Poukine), as well as on new films by Valéry Rosier (Lundi) and Claude Schmitz (Spleen-Off). Nino dans la nuit is co-produced in France by Haut et Court, who’ll also be distributing the title in the region. International sales will fall to Memento International.

(Translated from French)