On 23 November, Pascal Bonitzer wrapped the shoot for his eighth feature, Spellbound [+leggi anche:
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scheda film]. The director already has titles such as More (Jean Vigo Award in 1996 and nominated for the César Award for Best First Feature Film in 1997), Small Cuts (in competition at Berlin in 2003), Looking for Hortense [+leggi anche:
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Standing out among the cast of his new opus are Sara Giraudeau (César Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2018 for Bloody Milk [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Hubert Charuel
scheda film], nominated for the César Award for Most Promising Actress and the Lumières Award for Best New Actress in 2016 for Les Bêtises [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Frédéric Lavigne
scheda series] and set to grace screens in 2019 in The Translators), Nicolas Duvauchelle (nominated for the César Award and Lumières Award for Best Actor in 2017 for A Decent Man [+leggi anche:
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scheda film], nominated for the César Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2012 for Poliss [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Maïwenn
scheda film], hitting theatres next year in Persona non grata), Belgium’s Anabel Lopez (who turned heads in Two Is a Family [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Nicolas Maury
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The story, loosely based on the short story The Way It Came (later renamed The Friends of the Friends) by famous US novelist Henry James, was written by Pascal Bonitzer (nominated for the César Award for Best Screenplay in 1994 and 2017 for My Favourite Season and Agnus Dei [+leggi anche:
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scheda film]). The storyline revolves around Azar, who saw her father appear before her on the night he died. Meanwhile, Simon (Duvauchelle) saw his mother appear before him on the day she died. They don’t know each other, but Coline (Giraudeau) knows them both. She unsuccessfully tries to arrange for them to meet, but then Coline falls in love with Simon. And when the meeting is finally meant to take place, she sabotages it for fear of losing out to Azar. Azar leaves alone, and Coline is left feeling guilty. The next day, Azar is found dead, having lost consciousness in her car by the roadside... Yet Simon says she visited him at the exact time she was supposed to have died. Coline then convinces herself that he saw her ghost – and that this spectral encounter will not be the last... 

Produced by Saïd Ben Saïd and Michel Merkt for SBS Productions (who are partnering up with the director for the fourth film in a row), Spellbound is being co-produced by Diana Elbaum for Belgian outfit Beluga Tree. The shoot took place in Paris, followed by the French Basque Country (in Itxassou, Biarritz and Hendaye), from 15 October-23 November, with Julien Hirsch in charge of the cinematography (nominated for the César Award in his respective category in 2007 and 2012, for Lady Chatterley [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Pierre Schoeller
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SBS Productions currently has Blessed Virgin by Paul Verhoeven (see the article), Bacurau [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Kleber Mendonça Filho, Jul…
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intervista: Ira Sachs
scheda film] by the USA’s Ira Sachs and Synonymes [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Nadav Lapid
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