email print share on Facebook share on Twitter share on LinkedIn share on reddit pin on Pinterest

PRODUCTION France

Little Tickles: From stage play to Cannes film

by 

- Andréa Bescond and Eric Métayer will be at Cannes to unveil the adaptation of their multi-award-winning stage play, produced by Les Films du Kiosque and sold by Orange

Little Tickles: From stage play to Cannes film
Pierre Deladonchamps in Little Tickles

“This story imposed itself on me as a tale of survival, as a desire to say loud and clear the one thing that many people do not want to hear, or simply reject outright; what is more intolerable than the rape of a child? (…) It’s an observation of a struggle to exist, to breathe, to survive…” This is how Andréa Bescond describes the stage play Les Chatouilles ou la danse de la colère, which she wrote and performed as a one-woman show with direction by Eric Métayer, and which earned a string of prizes, including the Molière Award for One-person Show in 2016, the Best Actress Award at the Critiques Avignon Off, the SACD New Theatre Talent Award and the Académie Française’s Young Talent Award. And Bescond has decided to bring this story of a sexually abused child who finds salvation in dance – a dramatic tale but one devoid of any pathos, and which also verges on comedy – to the big screen by pairing up with her partner. The feature debut already has a dazzling life ahead of it, as it will enjoy a world premiere in the Un Certain Regard selection of the 71st Cannes Film Festival (8-19 May).

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

Little Tickles [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 stars Andréa Bescond herself, Karin Viard (César Award for Best Actress in 2000, and nominated in 2005, in 2012 for Poliss [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Maïwenn
film profile
]
, in 2015 for The Bélier Family [+see also:
trailer
making of
film profile
]
 and in 2018 for Jalouse [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
), Clovis Cornillac (nominated for the César Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2004 and 2005, currently on the cinema listings in Belle et Sébastien 3 [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
), Pierre Deladonchamps (César Award for Most Promising Actor in 2014 for Stranger by the Lake [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alain Guiraudie
film profile
]
, nominated for the César Award for Best Actor in 2017 for A Kid [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Philippe Lioret
film profile
]
 and who will also be on the Cannes line-up with his performance in Sorry Angel [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Christophe Honoré
film profile
]
), Grégory Montel (very popular in the series Call My Agent!), Carole Franck (who is set to grace screens very soon in Let the Girls Play [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
) and Gringe (Carbon [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
). 

The story, penned by Andréa Bescond and Eric Metayer, revolves around Odette. She is eight years old, and likes dancing and drawing. Why would she be wary of a friend of her parents’ who suggests a “game of tickles”? Now an adult, Odette expresses her anger through dance, speaks freely and embraces life. 

Produced by François Kraus and Denis Pineau-Valencienne for Les Films du KiosqueLittle Tickles had a budget of €3.42 million, including a co-production and a pre-purchase by France 2 Cinéma. Having also been pre-purchased by Canal+ and OCS, the feature will be out in French theatres on 26 September, courtesy of Orange Studio and UGC Distribution. The international sales are being overseen by Orange Studio. Interestingly, the cinematography was entrusted to Pierre Aïm (nominated three times for the César Award in his category, including for Poliss in 2012, garnering acclaim more recently with his work on The Nile Hilton Incident [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tarik Saleh
film profile
]
).

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

(Translated from French)

Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.

Privacy Policy