Annual Top Films Lists

Top 150 Most Anticipated Foreign Films of 2020: #146. Jumbo – Zoé Wittock

Published on December 30, 2019

Jumbo

Belgian born Zoé Wittock promises to be a breakout director in 2020 with her debut Jumbo, (which the Sundance folks describe a “world of self-discovery and exhilaration for her literal object of desire“) a Belgian-French-Luxembourg co-production produced by Anais Bertrand, Annabella Nezri and Gilles Chanial. Her cast is headed by Noemie Merlant (lead in Portrait of a Lady on Fire, 2019), writer/actor/director Emmanuel Bercot and Sam Louwyck. Thomas Buelens (All Cats Are Grey, 2014) will serve as DP.

Gist: Jeanne is a shy young woman who lives at home with her mother and works in an amusement park. But everything changes when she meets Jumbo, the park’s new star attraction. According to Wittock it’s based on the true story of a woman who wedded the Eiffel tower.

Release Date/Prediction: Wittock will compete at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival in the World Dramatic competition – world premiere screening at the Prospector Square Theatre on the 24th.

Nicholas Bell

Los Angeles based Nicholas Bell is IONCINEMA.com's Chief Film Critic and covers film festivals such as Sundance, Berlin, Cannes and TIFF. He is part of the critic groups on Rotten Tomatoes, The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) and GALECA. His top 3 for 2021: France (Bruno Dumont), Passing (Rebecca Hall) and Nightmare Alley (Guillermo Del Toro). He was a jury member at the 2019 Cleveland International Film Festival.