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PRODUCTION France

Le nouveau protocole: Danger in the pharmaceutical industry

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Lensing begins today in the Vosges (Eastern France) on Thomas Vincent’s third feature, Le nouveau protocole (lit. “The New Protocol”), a thriller that exposes dangerous manipulation in the pharmaceutical industry.

Heading the bill are Clovis Cornillac (The Snake [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
, Asterix at the Olympic Games) and Marie-Josée Croze (Best Actress at Cannes 2003 for The Barbarian Invasions [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
), who both starred in Laurent Tirard’s Mensonges et trahisons (lit. “Lies and Betrayal”).

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Co-scripted by the director and Eric Besnard (Babylone A.D., Cash Truck), Le nouveau protocole tells how Kraft (Cornillac) - a man investigating the accidental death of his son – uncovers terrifying truths about the pharmaceutical industry and finds himself caught up in a fatal spiral.

The French helmer started his career in style with his debut feature Karnaval, screened in official competition at the 1999 Berlinale, where it was awarded the Alfred Bauer Prize for Best First European Film. The title also won him three Cesar nominations in 2000 (including Best Newcomer for Cornillac).

Vincent then went on to make The Hook, an adaptation of Donald E. Westlake’s thriller that screened in the 2004 Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight, before branching off into television features with S.A.C.: Des hommes dans l'ombre (2005).

Produced by Eric and Nicolas Altmeyer for Mandarin Cinéma, still riding on the wave of success after OSS 117 and Brice de Nice, the €8.4m Le nouveau protocole included €1.23m in funding from M6 Films (€150,000 in co-production and €1.08m in pre-sales) and a co-production with StudioCanal, who will release the feature in France in the first half of 2008 and is handling international sales.

The film has a 10-week shoot, two weeks in the Vosges and eight in Paris.

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(Translated from French)

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