Bouchard & Blethyn Head Down “River”

The terrorist bombings that rocked London on July 7, 2005 are still a touchy
subject for many. 52 souls died that day in a series of coordinated attacks on
the public transit system, leaving the city’s commuter and telecom
infrastructures in taters – and its citizens shell shocked. No doubt the
incident is fertile ground for storytelling, I’m a bit surprised that there
hasn’t been a film on subject yet. That is about to change with London River,
the latest film from heralded French filmmaker Rachid Bouchard (Dust of Life/Days of Glory).

The pictures stars the seemingly omnipresent Brenda Blethyn (last seen in Atonement) and the criminally underused character actor Sotigui
Kouyate (Dirty Pretty Things) as strangers drawn to London in search of their missing
children following the attacks, in the process discovering that they had
been living together. The film was developed as a TV project, but Bouchard’s
screenplay convinced the principals that a theatrical presentation would be
best. The director’s high profile in the international film community surely
played a part as well… the man’s got a trophy case that would make many
blush. The two-time Oscar nominee was recently announced as a Jury Member for
the 61^st Cannes Film Festival and Variety also mentions that the filmmaker will quickly follow this London-set project with the follow up of sorts to Days of Glory with Outside the Law .

Budgeted at $3 million, production begins in London on May 28. Broadcasters
Arte and France 3 are footing the bill with Bouchard’s own Tessalit Productions and Bureau producing.