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PRODUCTION France

Grand Corps Malade and Mehdi Idir filming Patients

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- The talented slam artist adapts his autobiographical tale for the big screen, and will be played by Pablo Pauly; the Mandarin production will be distributed by Gaumont

Grand Corps Malade and Mehdi Idir filming Patients
Mehdi Idir and Grand Corps Malade (© Renaud Monfourny)

“I’m leaving the hospital where I’ve been in intensive care for the past few weeks. They’re driving me to a big rehabilitation centre today, where they look after the crème de la crème of the heavily handicapped: paraplegics, quadriplegics, people with brain damage, amputees, the severely burnt… Well, I have a feeling we’re going to have some fun.” And so begins Patients [+see also:
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trailer
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]
, famous slam artist Grand Corps Malade’s (real name Fabien Marsaud) autobiography, a real hit at the bookshops (selling 300,000 copies in 2012). The artist has been shooting the film adaptation of the book, with some assistance from his co-director, Mehdi Idir, since 22 February. 

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The billing features, most notably, Pablo Pauly (Discount [+see also:
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film profile
]
, Take-Away Romance [+see also:
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film profile
]
, The Finishers [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
), Moussa Mansaly (Insecure [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Marianne Tardieu
film profile
]
), Franck Falise (Dheepan [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Jacques Audiard
film profile
]
), Nailia Harzoune (Geronimo [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, Inside the Cell [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
), Soufiane Guerrab (Paulette [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
), Rabah Ait Oufella, Come Levin and Dominique Blanc (crowned Best Actress at Venice in 2008 for her role in The Other One [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
). 

The screenplay, written by Fabien Marsaud and Fadette Drouard, recounts the story of Ben, who finds himself stuck in a wheelchair from the age of 20 after having dived into an almost-empty swimming pool. Although everyone thinks that he will be paralysed for the rest of his life, after one year in rehabilitation, he regains his place, standing amongst the rest of the living… A true episode in the life of the man who has since taken the stage name “Grand Corps Malade” and who went on to win two Victoires de la Musique Awards in 2007 with his first album, a breakthrough which the rest of his career hasn’t failed to live up to.

Produced by Eric and Nicolas Altmayer for Mandarin Production, Patients is being co-produced by Kallouche Cinéma and Gaumont (which will distribute the film in France and sell it abroad). OCS and Ciné+ have already bought the rights to the film, which is currently being shot in the Paris region before it wraps in mid-April. 

Mandarin is currently riding a wave of success at cinemas with three of its productions: Anne Fontaine’s Agnus Dei [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lou de Laâge
film profile
]
(which had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival and recorded 500,000 admissions in almost four weeks – Mars Distribution), Roschdy Zem’s Chocolat [+see also:
trailer
making of
film profile
]
(with 1.68 million viewers in four weeks – Gaumont) and Franck Gastambide’s comedy Pattaya [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
(1.33 million admissions in 12 days – also distributed by Gaumont). 

The Parisian company also has several other films on its books: François Ozon’s Frantz [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: François Ozon
film profile
]
 (currently in post-production and starring Pierre Niney and German actress Paula Beer – read the article – with a release date set for 14 September 2016 via Mars Distribution), and the comedies Brice de Nice 3 [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by James Huth (with Jean Dujardin returning in his cult classic role of the “ridiculous” surfer – being released on 19 October 2016 by Gaumont Distribution) and Cigarettes et chocolat chaud [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Sophie Reine (starring Gustave Kervern and Camille Cottin – which will be distributed by Diaphana Distribution at a yet-to-be-announced date). Also worth mentioning is Pierré Coré’s feature-length animation Sahara, which is currently in production and is being staged with Canadian outfit Transfilm International. This film recounts the amazing adventures of Ajar the snake and Pitt the scorpion in the hostile environment that is this famous desert, and will be distributed by StudioCanal on 5 April 2017.

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(Translated from French)

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