Benoît Poelvoorde and Ariane Lebed in Une place sur la terre

by Fabien Lemercier

14/02/2012 - On March 5, Fabienne Godet will start shooting her third feature film, Une place sur la terre (lit. “A place on earth”), in Brussels. After Sauf le respect que je vous dois [trailer] (discovered in San Sebastian in 2005) and the documentary My Greatest Escape [trailer] (Berlinale Forum 2009), the director will this time direct a film to star Belgian actor Benoît Poelvoorde (photo - Romantics Anonymous [trailer], Nothing to Declare [trailer]) and Ariane Labed (best actress in Venice in 2010 for Attenberg [trailer, film focus]). Other actors to feature in the film are the young Max Baissette de Malglaive (Versailles [trailer, film focus]), Helena Noguerra (Heartbreaker [trailer]), Jacques Spiesser, Julie Moulier, Brigitte Sy, and Vinciane Millereau.

The screenplay is written by the director, Claire Mercier, and Franck Vassal, and tells of the meeting between a happily desenchanted photographer in his forties (Poelvoorde) and an idealist student pianist (Labed).

Produced by Bertrand Faivre for Le Bureau, Une place sur la terre is co-produced by France 2 Cinéma and the Belgians from Versus Production. The film has been pre-bought by Canal+ and Ciné+, and will be shot for 55 days, of which 50 in Belgium, with shots in Egypt, Spain, and the South of France. Wild Bunch Distribution is to distribute the film in France in the course of 2013 and international sales will be led by Celluloid Dreams.

Production company Le Bureau is doing well, as it is currently co-producing Capital by Costa Gavras (being shot at the moment – readmore) and has The Comedian (temporary title) by Thomas Shkolnikin post-production via its British sister company The Bureau. Bertrand Faivre has also secured financing forAlain Choquart’s first feature film, yet to be named but to feature French actor André Dussollier, American actor Peter Sarsgaard, and Belgian actor Jérémie Renier, as well as as for Sky by Fabienne Berthaud to star German actress Diane Kruger (Farewell, My Queen [trailer, film focus]). Asif Kapadia, whose film Senna [trailer] was the second most successful documentary ever at the British box office, will also make a 30-minute film for the London Olympic Games.

(Translated from French)