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PRODUCTION France

Shoot about to start for Escape from Raqqa

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- Jisca Kalvanda, Finnegan Oldfield and Swann Arlaud are among the cast of the feature debut by Emmanuel Hamon, which is being staged by Epithète Films and will be sold by Playtime

Shoot about to start for Escape from Raqqa
Actors Jisca Kalvanda, Finnegan Oldfield and Swann Arlaud

Epithète Films has been swept up in a flurry of intense activity of late, what with Best Intentions [+see also:
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]
 nearing the end of its shoot and the first clapperboard scheduled to slam on 16 April for the feature debut by Emmanuel HamonEscape from Raqqa [+see also:
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trailer
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]
. The cast includes Jisca Kalvanda (who rose to fame in Max et Lenny [+see also:
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]
, and was popular in Divines [+see also:
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interview: Houda Benyamina
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]
 and Do It Right [+see also:
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), Finnegan Oldfield (nominated for the César Award for Most Promising Actor in 2018 and 2016 for Reinventing Marvin [+see also:
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]
 and Cowboys [+see also:
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]
, and for the Lumières Award for Best New Actor in 2017 for Bang Gang (A Modern Love Story) [+see also:
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interview: Eva Husson
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]
, also popular in Nocturama [+see also:
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interview: Bertrand Bonello
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]
, gracing screens in the latter half of the year in Le poulain), Swann Arlaud (César Award for Best Actor in 2018 for Bloody Milk [+see also:
film review
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interview: Hubert Charuel
film profile
]
, also giving fine performances in such titles as The Wakhan Front [+see also:
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trailer
film profile
]
 and A Woman’s Life [+see also:
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Q&A: Stéphane Brizé
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]
, and set to hit screens later this year in Une histoire de l’art and Alexandre), Kassem Al Khoja and Xavier Legrand (the director of Custody [+see also:
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interview: Xavier Legrand
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]
, who has already appeared in front of the camera in the past, in movies such as Free Hands [+see also:
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]
 and Regular Lovers [+see also:
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interview: Philippe Garrel
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]
).

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The story, penned by Emmanuel Hamon and Benjamin Dupas (who contributed to the screenplay of Arès [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
; he was also the co-writer of seasons 2 and 3 of the series Kabul Kitchen and wrote several episodes of seasons 1 and 2 of Call My Agent!), revolves around a young French activist and his Syrian counterpart, both of whom are extremely politically engaged and plugged into the latest communication channels, and who will enable a young French Muslim woman and her son to be exfiltrated from Raqqa. A nail-biting true story about two worlds and two generations that cross paths.

Produced by Frédéric Brillion and Gilles Legrand for Epithète FilmsEscape from Raqqa has been pre-purchased by OCS and Ciné+, and has secured support from the Ile-de-France region and the Cinecap, La Banque Postale Image and Manon Soficas. The seven-week shoot will take place in Jordan and the Ile-de-France region from 16 April-16 June. The French distribution will be handled by Fox/Pépites and the international sales by Playtime.

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(Translated from French)

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