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PRODUCTION France

Kad Merad heads up the cast of Rachid Hami’s La mélodie

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- With a supporting cast featuring Samir Guesmi and Renély, the director’s first feature is being produced by Mizar Films and will be sold by UGC

Kad Merad heads up the cast of Rachid Hami’s La mélodie
Actor Kad Merad

After beginning on 7 June, principal photography for La mélodie [+see also:
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]
 by Rachid Hami (who hit the scene as an actor in Games of Love and Chance [+see also:
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]
, and who directed the short film Choisir d’aimer – winner of the Audience Award at the 2008 Premiers Plans Festival in Angers) has entered the home straight in Paris. The film’s cast features the ever-popular Kad Merad (Welcome to the Sticks [+see also:
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]
, Little Nicolas [+see also:
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]
, winner of the 2007 César Award for Best Supporting Actor in Don’t Worry, I’m Fine [+see also:
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]
, and well-liked for his performance this year in the TV series Baron noir), Samir Guesmi (at the top of his game recently in The Together Project [+see also:
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]
, nominated for the 2013 César Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Camille Rewinds [+see also:
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film profile
]
, and also known for his appearance in Andalucia [+see also:
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film profile
]
, among others) and the young Renély.

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Penned by Guy Laurent (winner of the 2015 Lumière Award for Best Screenplay for Serial (Bad) Weddings [+see also:
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), Valérie Zenatti and the director, the screenplay follows Simon (Merad), a distinguished, albeit disillusioned, violinist who begrudgingly finds himself teaching a Parisian orchestra class. His rigid style makes teaching music to the gentle-hearted Farid’s (Guesmi) class of first-year secondary-school students an arduous and bumpy road. Arnold (Renély) is fascinated by the violin, its style and its sound - a revelation for this child who is almost sickeningly shy. Upon discovering Arnold’s raw talent and the joyful energy of the rest of Farid’s class, Simon starts to fall back in love with music and its joys. Will he be able to find the energy required to overcome the obstacles that get in the way of his promise to get these children into the Philharmonic one day? 

Produced by Nicolas Mauvernay for Mizar Films, La mélodie is being co-produced by France 2 Cinema, UGC and La Cité de la Musique – Philharmonie de Paris. As well as being bought in advance by Canal+, OCS, France 4 and D8, the feature film has also received an advance on receipts from the CNC. The nine-week shoot features Jérôme Alméras (a David di Donatello nominee in 2014 for Human Capital [+see also:
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interview: Paolo Virzì
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]
, and who has recently added titles such as The French Minister [+see also:
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]
, In the House [+see also:
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and Up for Love [+see also:
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]
to his filmography) as DoP. The film, which will boast a soundtrack composed by Bruno Coulais (a 2005 Oscar nominee who was also nominated for a César in 1997, 2000 and 2005), will be distributed in France and sold internationally by UGC.

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(Translated from French by Andrew Kenny)

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