12/11/2019 - The young production and distribution company from Paris stands out with A Dog’s Death, Sole, Smuggling Hendrix and After Your Revolt, Your Vote!

Founded in 2013, young Parisian company Les Valseurs, headed by Damien Megherbi and Justin Pechberty, is on the rise. First noticed for its activities in the field of distribution (most notably with Boris Khlebnijov’s Arrhythmia [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Boris Khlebnikov
film profile] in 2018 and Eugène Green’s Faire la parole in 2017), the company is also making its name in production, an area where it cuts its teeth working on some twenty short films (among them Ayce Kartal’s Vilaine Fille, winner of the 2019 César), for which it won the 2019 Prix France Télévisions for Young Producer.

Les Valseurs is now present at the forefront of film festivals, with the company set to have the world premiere, in the First Feature Competition of the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (from 15 November to 1 December 2019), of its co-production A Dog’s Death [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], directed by Matías Ganz and produced by Uruguayan company Nadador Cine, with Argentine company Le Tiro as co-producers. The film centres of Mario and Silvia, a couple struggling with the trauma of retirement when, one day, their house is burglarised, an event which throws them into a downward spiral of insecurity and paranoia that will lead them and their family to a bloody end…

At IDFA (20 November - 1 December), another production by Les Valseurs (together with Burkinabè company Brand Image – Etalons films) will have its world premiere in the Frontlight section: After Your Revolt, Your Vote! by Kiswendsida Parfait Kaboré. For the record, les Valseurs have also recently co-produced Slits [+see also:
trailer
film profile] from Brazilian director Carlo Segundo, which had its world premiere last July at FIDMarseille.

Regarding acquisitions in the field of distribution, Les Valseurs have seized a beautiful gem, which they will release in France next spring: Sole [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Carlo Sironi
film profile], from Italian director Carlo Sironi. Revealed in Venice in the Orizzonti section before its international premiere in the Discovery programme in Toronto, Sole has recently won the Best Film awards at the Montpellier Mediterranean Film Festival and at the Villerupt Italian Film Festival. "We acquired it just after Toronto from Luxbox", Damien Megherbi tells us. "It is the feature debut of a filmmaker we were following, a film which stands out for its formal mastery and for the emotions it creates." Another great addition in distribution: smart comedy Smuggling Hendrix [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marios Piperides
film profile] from Cyprus-born filmmaker Mario Piperides, screened today in the European Discoveries section of the 20th Arras Film Festival and released by Les Valseurs in French cinemas on 4 March 2020, after collecting a great number of awards since its victorious premiere at Tribeca: Audience Award at the Arcs, Special Mention at Thessaloniki, opening film at Cottbus, etc. It is worth noting that the film is out in German cinemas this week (Thursday 14 November via Filmperlen).

Finally, featuring in the distribution line-up of Les Valseurs is another feature debut from a promising filmmaker: Truk [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sarah Marx
film profile] by Sarah Marx. Revealed in the Orizzonti section in Venice last year, the film will be released in French cinemas on 22 January 2020.

(Translated from French)