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VENICE 2019 Venice Production Bridge

Jour2Fête to tout A Son and Pompei at Venice and Toronto

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- Spearheading the French sales agent’s slate are the films by Mehdi Barsaoui and duo John Shank and Anna Falguères, which will be world-premiered in Orizzonti and Discovery, respectively

Jour2Fête to tout A Son and Pompei at Venice and Toronto
A Son by Mehdi Barsaoui

In the wake of a fruitful Marché du Film at Cannes, with some great deals inked for titles such as Papicha [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Mounia Meddour
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]
by Mounia Meddour, which was unveiled in the Un Certain Regard selection, the international sales department of Paris-based company Jour2Fête (headed up by Sarah Chazelle and Etienne Ollagnier) will be setting sail for the 76th Venice Film Festival (28 August-7 September) and the 44th Toronto Film Festival (5-15 September) with two of its trump cards set to get an airing.

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On the Lido, the team managed by Samuel Blanc will be pinning its hopes on A Son [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mehdi M Barsaoui and Sami B…
film profile
]
, the feature debut by Mehdi Barsaoui, which will have its world premiere in the competitive Orizzonti section. Starring Sami Bouajila and Najla Ben Abdallah, the film tells the story of a family holiday to southern Tunisia in the summer of 2011. The vacation ends in disaster for Fares, Meriem and their ten-year-old son, Aziz, when he is accidentally shot in an ambush. His injury will change their lives, as Aziz needs a liver transplant, which leads to the discovery of a long-buried secret. Will Aziz and their relationship survive? With a huge buzz already surrounding it, this feature was produced by Marc Irmer for Paris-based outfit Dolce Vita Films and by Habib Attia for Tunisia’s Cinetelefilms, with Lebanon and Qatar on board as co-producers.

At Toronto, Jour2Fête will be selling Pompei [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Anna Falguères and John Shank
film profile
]
by US helmer John Shank (who rose to fame with Last Winter [+see also:
trailer
interview: John Shank
film profile
]
, which was unveiled in the Giornate degli autori at Venice in 2011, before being screened at Toronto, in the Contemporary World Cinema programme) and French director Anna Falguères, which will have its world premiere in the Discovery section. The movie, starring Garance Marillier (Raw [+see also:
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interview: Julia Ducournau
film profile
]
), Aliocha Schneider and Vincent Rottiers, is set in a deserted region, where Victor and his younger brother Jimmy are left to fend for themselves, and killing time with a bunch of other kids does not help them overcome loneliness. When Victor falls in love with Billie, a young girl from a troubled home, things slowly begin to change for Jimmy. Produced by Belgium’s Tarantula, Pompei was co-produced by France’s Good Fortune Films and Canada’s micro scope media.

Besides these two titles, which Jour2Fête will also be distributing in France, its international sales line-up also includes Echo [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rúnar Rúnarsson
film profile
]
by Iceland’s Rúnar Rúnarsson, which was recently world-premiered in competition at Locarno. Also standing out is the French film Slalom [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Charlène Favier
film profile
]
by Charlène Favier, currently in post-production. Staged by Paris-based firm Mille et Une Productions, this feature debut starring Noée Abita (Ava [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Léa Mysius
film profile
]
) and Belgium’s Jérémie Renier revolves around the character of 15-year-old Lyz, a high-school student in the French Alps, who has been accepted into a highly selective ski club whose aim is to train future professional athletes. Taking a chance on his new recruit, Fred, a former champion-turned-coach, decides to make Lyz his shining star, regardless of her lack of experience. Under his influence, Lyz will have to endure more than the physical and emotional pressure of the training. Will Lyz’s determination help her escape his grip?

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(Translated from French)

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