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PRODUCTION France / Belgium

Julien Leclercq shooting Earth and Blood

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- Sami Bouajila toplines the Labyrinthe Films-produced feature, which the filmmaker himself has billed as an extremely violent modern western

Julien Leclercq shooting Earth and Blood
Director Julien Leclercq and actor Sami Bouajila

Following Chrysalis [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 (2007), The Assault [+see also:
trailer
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]
 (2011), The Informant [+see also:
trailer
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]
 (2013), The Crew [+see also:
trailer
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]
 (2016) and The Bouncer [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 (2018), Julien Leclercq has been in Belgium shooting his sixth feature, Earth and Blood [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Julien Leclercq
film profile
]
, since 13 March. For the cast, the director is joining forces for the third time with Sami Bouajila (Best Actor Award at Cannes in 2006 for Days of Glory [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jean Bréhat
interview: Rachid Bouchareb
film profile
]
, nominated for the César Award for Best Actor in 2012 for Omar Killed Me [+see also:
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film profile
]
, César Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2008 for The Witnesses [+see also:
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]
, popular in the recent titles Blessed [+see also:
film review
trailer
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]
and Through the Fire [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
). He is flanked by Ériq Ebouaney (who toplined Raoul Peck’s Lumumba and whose filmography seems to fluctuate between European arthouse cinema – see A Season in France [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
film profile
]
 and 35 Shots of Rum [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
, for instance – and big-budget Hollywood productions such as Kingdom of Heaven and Hitman), Samy Seghir (who gave great performances in season 2 of Le Bureau des Légendes [+see also:
interview: Frédéric Lavigne
series profile
]
 and in Neuilly, sa mère, sa mère ! [+see also:
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]
, the first instalment of which, Neuilly Yo Mama [+see also:
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film profile
]
 earned him a nomination for the Lumières Award for Best New Actor in 2013; he also turned heads in Turning Tide [+see also:
trailer
interview: Jean Cottin
film profile
]
 and Les Petits Princes [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
), Sofia Lesaffre (Alone [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
) and Redouanne Harjane (M [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sara Forestier
film profile
]
).

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

The story, written by Julien Leclercq and Jérémie Guez (Rebels [+see also:
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]
The Night Eats the World [+see also:
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]
), centres on the character of Saïd. Apart from his 18-year-old daughter, Sarah, his entire life revolves around his family sawmill. For years, he has struggled to keep his business afloat, mainly for the sake of his employees, all of whom are former inmates and young people on rehabilitation schemes. But one day, one of them uses the sawmill to hide a car filled with drugs. When the cartel it belongs to shows up at the sawmill, Saïd and Sarah will have to do their utmost to protect it. But they are at an advantage: this sawmill is their turf, and they know every nook and cranny of it…

Produced by Julien Madon (a European Film Promotion Producer on the Move in 2016) and Julien Leclercq for Labyrinthe FilmsEarth and Blood is being co-produced by Belgium’s Umedia and has secured backing from Wallimage. The shoot will take place in Namur and Brussels until 30 April, with Brecht Goyvaert in charge of the cinematography. 

Labyrinthe Films has produced movies such as SK1 [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
The Crew [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 and A Bluebird in My Heart [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
, among others. Through his other company, Single Man Productions, Julien Madon has titles such as Through the Fire and Dog [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
under his belt.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

(Translated from French)

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