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PRODUCTION France

Sami Bouajila to head up the cast of Les Bienheureux

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- Shooting for Sofia Djama’s first feature film, a Liaison Cinématographique production to be sold by Bac Films, is slated for September

Sami Bouajila to head up the cast of Les Bienheureux
Actor Sami Bouajila

8 September will mark the start of principal photography for Sofia Djama’s first feature film, the Franco-Belgian co-production Les Bienheureux [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
. The director is well known for her short film Mollement, un samedi matin (a 2012 Clermont-Ferrand prize-winning adaptation of one of her news articles, which was met with considerable success at festivals). The film’s cast features the names Sami Bouajila (winner of the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor in 2006 for his role in Days of Glory [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jean Bréhat
interview: Rachid Bouchareb
film profile
]
, nominated for the 2012 César Award for Best Actor for his role in Omar Killed Me [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
, at the top of his game this year in Good Luck Sam [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
and who will be seen in Le Scribe from 16 November this year), Nadia Kaci (who shot to fame in It All Starts Today, and whose performances in Viva Laldjérie and Délice Paloma [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
were well received), Lyna Khoudri, Amine Lansari and Adma Bessa.

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Penned by the director, the screenplay (which earned its author a Special Mention at the Sopadin Grand Prix for Best Screenplay) is set in Algiers, a few years after the Civil War. Amal and Samir decide to celebrate their 20th anniversary at a restaurant. Over the course of their journey, they both reminisce about their Algeria(s): Amal through the shattering of dreams, and Samir through the need to make the best of the situation. At the same time, Fahim, their son, and his friends Feriel and Reda wander Algiers, which is gradually closing in on itself.

Produced by Serge Zeitoun for Liaison Cinématographique, Les Bienheureux is co-produced by Belgian outfit Artémis Productions (Patrick Quinet) and has been pre-purchased by Cine+. It has also received an advance on receipts from the CNC, with Indéfilms, Angoa and Cofinova Dvt all throwing their backing behind the film. The shoot is slated to run from 8 September to 12 October in Algiers. Bac Films will handle the film’s French distribution as well as its international sales.

Liaison Cinématographique has recently produced Le pantin by Mallory Grolleau (which will hit French cinemas on 14 September), No Home Movie [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Chantal Akerman and Vincent Lannoo’s Paper Souls [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Vincent Lannoo
film profile
]
. The company has also co-produced titles such as Bernard Bellefroid’s Melody [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bernard Bellefroid
film profile
]
and Puppy Love [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Delphine Lehericey, among others.

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(Translated from French)

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