Revolt on the maternity ward for Frot and Seigner in Bowling

by Fabien Lemercier

29/03/2011 - At the end of June, shooting will start in Brittany on producer Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar’s second directorial foray: Bowling. Starring Catherine Frot, Mathilde Seigner and Firmine Richard, this social comedy will describe the staff revolt in a hospital whose maternity ward is threatened with closure.

The film draws on real-life events that took place in Carhaix in 2008. Frot’s character arrives from Paris to take up the post of human resources manager at the hospital.

When she is asked to carry out an audit that is bound to lead to the closure of the maternity ward, she grows fond of the staff who take a stand against what they see as an injustice. Leading the movement is a midwife (Seigner) who is also an amateur bowler.

Produced by Loma Nasha Films (Meet the Elisabethz [trailer]), Bowling will shoot from June 30 to mid-September in Carhaix and Paris.

The Paris-based company also has Mention-Schaar’s debut feature La Première Fois (“The First Time”) in post-production. Set for a theatrical launch on October 5 by Mars Distribution, the film traces six months of an unpredictable romance between two youngsters who seem to be polar opposites: 20-year-old bad boy Zachary (Martin Cannavo) and 18-year-old good girl Sarah (Esther Comar).

(Translated from French)