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PRODUCTION France

Gourmet and Blanc star in Schoeller’s L’Exercice de l’Etat

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Shooting kicks off tomorrow in Macon on the second directorial feature by screenwriter Pierre Schoeller, who made an acclaimed behind-the-camera debut with Versailles [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Geraldine Michelot
interview: Pierre Schoeller
film profile
]
(selected in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes 2008).

His new work, L’Exercice de l’Etat (“The Exercise of State”), takes a behind-the-scenes look at ministerial power. The cast includes Belgium’s Olivier Gourmet (currently on screens in Black Venus [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Abdellatif Kechiche
film profile
]
), veteran actor Michel Blanc (A Spot of Bother [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
), Zabou Breitman (set to appear from November 17 in her latest feature No and Me) and Laurent Stocker (Best Male Newcomer Cesar 2008 for Hunting and Gathering).

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Scripted by Schoeller, the film centres on Transport Minister Bertrand Saint-Jean (Gourmet) and his principal private secretary (Blanc). It opens with the latter waking the former in the middle of the night to tell him that a coach has left the road in an accident. "How many fatalities? Any children? Let’s go. We have no choice."

Thus begins the odyssey of a statesman in an increasingly complex and hostile world. Fast pace, power struggles, chaos, economic crisis…Everything connects and conflicts. One emergency quickly follows another. How is democracy doing? It’s shaky but still standing, on the move and still on track…

Produced by Denis Freyd for Archipel 35, L’Exercice de l’Etat is co-produced by Belgian company Les Films du Fleuve (headed by the Dardenne brothers) and France 3 Cinéma. Its €6.5m budget also includes an advance on receipts from the National Film and Moving Image Centre (CNC), €500,000 in backing from Eurimages, pre-acquisitions from Canal + and CinéCinéma, and support from Sofica Cofinova 7 and Soficinéma 7.

Shooting is scheduled to last until January 9 in Saône-et-Loire and the Paris area, with lensing by DoP Julien Hirsch (who won the Best Cinematography Cesar 2007 for Lady Chatterley [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
and collaborated with Schoeller on Versailles). French distribution will be managed by Diaphana and international sales by Doc & Film International.

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(Translated from French)

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