Riton Liebman, die-hard football fan

by Aurore Engelen

16/05/2012 - In England, you either support ManCity or Arsenal, in France, it's PSG or OM. In Belgium, you are either purple (Anderlecht) or red (Liège). Or rather 'rouche' (the French word for 'red', 'rouge', but with a Belgian accent). At least when you speak French. With Je suis supporter du Standard (lit. "I support the Standard"), Riton Liebman (photo) embarks on a universal reflection about the wicked addiction that is love for football. Milou (played by Riton Liebman himself) is an anonymous fan who has dedicated his life and work (as manager of a driving school) to the Standard, but his life will change forever when Martine (Léa Drucker) appears on the scene. Of course, because it's a comedy, she hates football. The realisation that he is addicted will throw Milou on a path fraught with obstacles, relapses, and eventually redemption. He drags Martine along for all of this, and her hate for football is anything but mild.

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We already knew Riton Liebman, but as an actor. He was often on stage in Brussels' theatres, and had also appeared in films, most recently in Polisse where he played the partner of Marina Foïs' character. For his first film, he has clearly chosen comedy, and off-the-wall comedy at that, which suits La Parti, his producer, very well. Besides the director and Léa Drucker, the film will also feature a great team of Belgian actors that it will be good to see on the big screen, including Philippe Résimont, Laurence Bibot, Nicolas Buysse, and the young David Murgia (soon to appear in Tango Libre by Frédéric Fonteyne). Football-themed cameo appearances are expected, from Belgium if not from further afield.

Shooting, which kicked off in Liège at the end of April, should wrap mid-June after six weeks of filming in Brussels. Produced by La Parti as mentioned above, the film is co-produced in France by 1.85 Productions and Chic Films (delegate), with the support of the CCA, the RTBF, BeTV, Canal+ and the CNC, on a budget of €2m.

(Translated from French)