04/06/2019 - The CNC has also pledged support to the first feature films bearing the names of Emmanuel Marre, Chloé Mazlo, Yassine Qnia, Élodie Fradet and Stéphane Malterre

L’Ascension du Haut Mal by Christophe Gérard

Six titles were selected during the second 2019 session of the CNC’s first advance on receipts committee. Standing tall among the various projects is Christophe Gérard’s animated film, L’Ascension du Haut Mal, an adaptation of the autobiographical comic book series by David B. (six volumes published between 1996 and 2003 and the winner of a number of key awards, including, in the year 2000, the Alph-Art Scenario Prize at the Angoulême International Comics Festival). Written by Mariette Désert, David B., Christophe Gérard and Joachim Hamou, the film centres on Pierre-François who is six years old when his big brother is suddenly struck down by a strange illness: the Grand Mal. The year is 1965 and this is the current name for epilepsy, a condition against which traditional medicine is, as yet, utterly powerless. Consequently, his parents throw themselves into exploring all kinds of strange treatments: spiritualism, macrobiotics… But as far as Pierre-François is concerned, they’re barking up the wrong tree: he knows that in order to overcome the Grand Mal, he will have to reassemble the armies of Genghis Khan, conjure up the spirits of his ancestors and even make a deal with demons… The film’s production is in the hands of Les Films du Poisson and Acqua Alta.

An advance on receipts has likewise been awarded to Zero Fucks Given [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Emmanuel Marre and Julie Le…
film profile] by Emmanuel Marre. Claiming the Short Film Golden Leopard in Locarno last year for Castle to Castle and the Prix Jean Vigo in 2017 for The Summer Movie, which also triumphed in Clermont-Ferrand’s national competition that same year, as well as being presented in Berlin’s international competition, the filmmaker will base her first full-length film on the character of a young air hostess working for a low-cost airline. Production is headed up by the Parisian firm Kidam in league with Belgian outfit Wrong Men.

Similarly shored up by the CNC will be A Brighter Tomorrow [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Souheila Yacoub
film profile] by Yassine Qnia (who made a name for himself with his short films Fais croquer and F430), set to be produced by Why Not Productions; Skies of Lebanon [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Chloé Mazlo (Best Short Animation César 2015 for The Little Stones), which will be produced by Moby Dick Films and whose script was co-written by the director herself in league with Yacine Badday; and two documentary projects: La P’tite Fradette by Élodie Fradet (production: Lionceau Films) and Les Âmes Perdues [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Stéphane Malterre (Les Films d’Ici).

(Translated from French)