It’s 1998, and the early stages of the annual Tour de France have been relocated to Ireland. A Belgian rider in his late thirties, called Dom Chabol, has been one of the best support riders on the Tour for the last 20 years. Dom secretly harbours a desire to wear the yellow jersey – just once – before his career is over. At the start of what will likely be his last Tour, Dom is unceremoniously dropped from the team he has dedicated his life to. His best mate, Sonny, the team masseur, fails to reassure him about his future. However, a chance liaison with Lynn, a young Irish doctor, softens the blow, and Dom starts to accept the idea of civilian life. Nonetheless, as he gears up to go home and to face his estranged sister, a massive doping error knocks another teammate off the Tour, and Dom is thrown back in the saddle.

This is the plot of Kieron J Walsh’s new drama, entitled The Racer [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
intervista: Kieron J. Walsh
scheda film] and penned by Ciaran Cassidy (Collaboration Horizontale) and the director himself. The flick, set to film in Ireland and Luxembourg, will star Louis Talpe (Vipers Nest), Karel Roden (Little Crusader [+leggi anche:
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trailer
intervista: Václav Kadrnka
scheda film]), Matteo Simoni (Trio), Tara Lee (A Date for Mad Mary [+leggi anche:
recensione
trailer
scheda film]) and Iain Glen (My Cousin Rachel [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film]). Walsh started his career in the audiovisual industry during the late 1980s. To date, he has produced and directed a number of shorts, TV series and TV films in Ireland and the UK, alongside three features – namely, The Perfect Blue (1997), When Brendan Met Trudy (2000) and Jump [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film] (2012).

Speaking about the film and his crew, the director said: “I am delighted to finally be bringing The Racer to the screen. I distinctly remember the Tour de France descending into Ireland in 1998 and the buzz that it brought with it. That Tour proved to be a challenging time for cycling, filled with scandal, emotion and turmoil, and I am confident that the film will be just as thrilling. I couldn’t have asked for a better cast along with a crack team of HoDs, including DoP James Mather and designer Ray Ball.”

The Racer is being produced by Katie Holly and Yvonne Donohoe for Irish outfit Blinder Films, Jesus Gonzalez-Elvira for Calach Films (Luxembourg), and Robin Kerremans and Dimitri Verbeeck for Caviar Films (Belgium). Moreover, the production has received financial support from Screen Ireland, the Film Fund Luxembourg, Eurimages, Screen Flanders, the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland’s Sound & Vision Fund and Irish public broadcaster RTÉ. Last week, British sales agent Independent announced it was boarding the project, which will be introduced to buyers at Cannes later this month.

Belgium’s Kinepolis Film Distribution will be in charge of its release in the Benelux. The official date for the world premiere is yet to be disclosed.