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PRODUCTION / FUNDING France / Belgium

Filming imminent on Olivier Babinet’s Normale

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- Benoît Poelvoorde, Justine Lacroix and Steve Tientcheu lead the cast of this Haut et Court production which is co-produced by Tarentula and set to be sold by mk2 Films

Filming imminent on Olivier Babinet’s Normale
Actors Benoît Poelvoorde, Justine Lacroix and Steve Tientcheu

The first clapperboard is set to slam on 22 March for Normale [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
, Olivier Babinet’s 4th feature-length movie after two titles unveiled in Cannes’ ACID competition in 2010 and 2016 (the fiction film Robert Mitchum est mort [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
and the documentary Swagger [+see also:
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]
which was also nominated at the Césars), and Fishlove [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
(which just won India Hair a nomination for 2021’s Best New Actress César).

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The lead roles will be played by Belgium’s Benoît Poelvoorde (whom we’ll soon be seeing in My Father’s Stories [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
, Inexorable and Adieu Paris), Justine Lacroix (revealed via Real Love [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Claire Burger
film profile
]
) and Steve Tientcheu (recently brilliant in Night of the Kings [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Philippe Lacôte
film profile
]
and Les Misérables [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ladj Ly
film profile
]
).

Adapted by Juliette Sales, Fabien Suarez and Olivier Babinet (the first two having notably written all three instalments of the Belle et Sébastien [+see also:
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making of
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trilogy) based upon the play intitled The Monster in the Hall by Scottish playwright David Greig, the story revolves around 14-year-old Lucie who has a vivid imagination. She lives alone with her father, who spends his days hanging about the house in his dressing gown. Behind this eternal teenager façade, William struggles daily against the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Between caring for her father, schoolwork and the undeclared hours she works at the sandwich shop, Lucie’s only escape is writing a shoddy autobiographical novel.

Produced by Carole Scotta, Caroline Benjo and Barbara Letellier on behalf of Haut et Court, Normale will be co-produced by France 2 Cinéma, by Belgian group Tarantula and by Page 1. Pre-purchased by France 2, Canal+ and Ciné+, the feature film benefits from a CNC advance on receipts, as well as support from the Ile-de-France region, Wallimage, the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, Eurimages, the Media programme, BeTV, Proximus, RTBF and O'Brother. Shooting will unfold over eight weeks, between 22 March and 14 May, in the Ile-de-France region, with Jean-François Hensgens (who worked on Les Intranquilles last year and was nominated for the 2019 Magritte for Above the Law [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: François Troukens
film profile
]
) helming photography. Haut et Court will ensure distribution in French cinemas while mk2 Films are handling international sales.

For the record, Haut et Court’s recent film slate includes, in production, Gagarin [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Tr…
film profile
]
by Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh (gracing Cannes’ Official Selection 2020, already presented in close to 25 international festivals and now awaiting release in France), two titles in the showcase of the upcoming 71st Berlinale (the majority production Memory Box by Lebanese directors Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige – read our news – in competition for the 2021 Golden Bear, and the minority production Copilot [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Anne Zohra Berrached
film profile
]
by Germany’s Anne Zohra Berrached, which will premiere in the Panorama line-up) and the minority co-production A Chiara [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jonas Carpignano
film profile
]
by Italy’s Jonas Carpignano (in post-production). In terms of series, the firm recently won great acclaim from audiences and critics alike for No Man’s Land.

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(Translated from French)

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