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PRODUCTION France / Germany / Turkey

Manal Issa to topline Mon tissu préféré

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- The actress who rose to prominence in Parisienne is about to star in the feature debut by Gaya Jiji, which is being produced by Gloria Films and sold by UDI

Manal Issa to topline Mon tissu préféré
Actress Manal Issa

The first clapperboard will slam in Turkey on 13 June for My Favourite Fabric [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, the feature debut by Gaya Jiji, a project that caught people’s eye in the 2016 selection of the Cannes Film Festival’s Cinéfondation Atelier and which earned the Syrian filmmaker the Young Talent Women in Motion Award given out by the Kering Foundation, and handed to her personally on the Croisette by Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon. 

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The cast of this co-production between France, Germany and Turkey includes Manal Issa (nominated for the Lumière Award for Best New Actress for Parisienne [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 in 2017 and also popular in Nocturama [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bertrand Bonello
film profile
]
), Ula Tabari (who turned heads in such films as Inheritance [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Hiam Abbas
film profile
]
) and Souraya Baghdadi.

Written by Gaya Jiji in collaboration with Eiji Yamazaki, the story is set in Damascus in the spring of 2011. It’s the start of the civil war. Nahla is a 25-year-old woman, torn between her desire for freedom and her hope of leaving the country thanks to her arranged marriage with Samir, a Syrian man who has emigrated to the United States. While Samir has eyes for her younger, more docile sister, Nahla becomes close to her new neighbour, the mysterious Mrs Jiji…

It is also worth noting the involvement of DoP Antoine Heberlé (winner of the Vulcan Award at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival for Grigris [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, nominated for the Lumière Award in his category in 2017 for A Woman’s Life [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Stéphane Brizé
film profile
]
 and who also has Paradise Now [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
to his credit, amongst other titles).

Produced by Laurent Lavolé for Paris-based outfit Gloria Films (which recently staged the Cannes star attraction Nothingwood [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, which will be released in theatres on Wednesday next week), My Favourite Fabric is being co-produced by French companies Dublin Films (David Hurst) and Les Films de la Capitaine (Eiji Yamazaki), by Germany’s Katuh Studio (Vanessa Ciszewski) and ZDF/Das kleine Fernsehspiel (in conjunction with ARTE) and by Turkey’s Liman Film (Nadir Operli). The film received considerable support, most notably from the CNC’s World Cinema Support, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, Eurimages, the French-German mini co-production treaty and the Amiens International Film Festival’s screenplay development support fund. The movie’s French distribution will be handled by Sophie Dulac Distribution, while international sales are being taken care of by UDI.

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(Translated from French)

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