10/01/2014 - The CNC will back the documentary by the author of Les Bienveillantes. Advances also go to Sylvain Desclous, Maud Alpi, Rachel Lang and Fejria Deliba

Five feature film projects were selected during the 5^th and last session 2013 of the first college of the advance on receipts of the National Centre for Cinema and the Animated Image (CNC). Amongst them, the animated project L'ennemi invisible [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] stands out by Jonathan Littell, a Franco-American novelist who won the 2006 Goncourt Prize for his book The Kindly Ones ( Les bienveillantes), which was also a huge success in terms of book sales. The film, which falls in line with his investigations into the atrocities committed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, is produced by Jean-Marc Giri for Veilleur de Nuit.

An advance on receipts also goes to Vendeur [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Sylvain Desclous, produced by Florence Borelly for Sésame Films. Noticed amongst others for his short Le Monde à l’envers (presented in 2012 at My French Film Festival), the director wrote the screenplay of his first fiction feature with Olivier Lorelle. The main character, Serge, 55 years old, is one of France’s best salesmen. He roams malls and big stores. He sacrificed everything for his career, notably his son with whom he has a complicated relationship. The latter has opened a restaurant, finds himself in financial trouble and asks his father for help. He doesn’t ask for money but for a job. A sales job. After trying to convince him otherwise, Serge finally accepts... 

The CNC will also back the first feature projects by three female directors, including notably Gorge Coeur Ventre [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Maud Alpi (co-written by Baptiste Boulba-Ghigna), produced by Mathieu Bompoint for Mezzanine Films, which handled the last three shorts of the director: Nice (Directors’ Fortnight in 2009), Lucas and Courir (in the national competition in Clermont-Ferrand in 2008 and 2012).

The project Seule comme une baignoire by Rachel Lang also received funding. This first feature, written by the director, will end a trilogy initiated with the shorts Pour toi je ferai bataille (Silver Leopard in Locarno in 2010) and Les navets blancs empêchent de dormir (2011). This time, Ana’s character, 24 years old, will abruptly decide, after a job she hated in Belgium, not to return straight away to London where she lives: off she goes on a summer trip to her native town of Strasbourg. Jérémy Forni handles production for ChevalDeuxTrois.

Finally, the promise of an advance also goes to D'une pierre deux coups [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Fejria Deliba who wrote this screenplay exploring cultural shocks and family history with the Algerian war as a backdrop. The protagonist, a conservative mother from the Maghreb who lives in France goes beynd the boundaries of her city for the first time and hits the road (to the huge surprise of those around her) with a girlfriend to find her first boss in Algeria. The project will be produced by Thierry Lenouvel for Ciné Sud Promotion.

(Translated from French)