ARTE France Cinéma are throwing their support behind the new projects (which will drop in 2025) from Albert Serra, Hafsia Herzi, Kleber Mendonça Filho and a new project by Tarik Saleh which was flying under the radar. We just reported on Serra moving into English language film with Out Of This World – we can now confirm that filming will take place from June to July in Latvia. Look for casting announcements in the new year.
Herzi’s third feature The Youngest Daughter (which follows in the footsteps of Cannes preemed Tu mérites un amour et Bonne Mère) is now confirmed as a March and April shoot. This focuses on Fatima, who is the youngest daughter in a family of Algerian migrants in France. She discovers her love for women, which brings her into conflict with her family, her faith and her own identity. Filho mentioned this year that he was working on Secret Agents – a 70’s set project with Wagner Moura. Production start date is now confirmed for March or April in Brazil. His hometown of Recife will be featured in this project.
And finally, Tarik Saleh will next month into a France-Sweden-Denmark co-production and film in Morocco and Germany between May to August. Les Aigles de la République (translation Eagles of the Republic) stars his muse Fares Fares and Lyna Khoudri. Egypt’s most adored actor, George El-Nabawi, falls into disgrace with the authorities overnight. On the verge of losing everything, George is forced to accept the role of President Al-Sissi in a biographical film to his glory. He then finds himself thrown into the most closed circle of power and quickly realizes that he not only risks losing his soul, but that he has literally thrown himself into a dangerous dance of death.
Eric Lavallée is the founder, CEO, editor-in-chief, film journalist and critic at IONCINEMA.com (founded in 2000). Eric is a regular at Sundance, Cannes and TIFF. He has a BFA in Film Studies at the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. In 2013 he served as a Narrative Competition Jury Member at the SXSW Film Festival. He was an associate producer on Mark Jackson's This Teacher (2018 LA Film Festival, 2018 BFI London). In 2022 he served as a New Flesh Comp for Best First Feature at the 2022 Fantasia Intl. Film Festival. Current top films for 2022 include Tár (Todd Field), All That Breathes (Shaunak Sen), Aftersun (Charlotte Wells).
