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PRODUCTION / FUNDING France

Samuel Theis is in the middle of shooting Softie

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- The filmmaker and winner of Cannes’ 2014 Golden Camera for Party Girl is returning to Forbach for his first feature film directed solo, an Avenue B production sold by Totem Films

Samuel Theis is in the middle of shooting Softie
Director Samuel Theis

Having kicked off on 16 September, filming on Samuel TheisSoftie [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Samuel Theis
film profile
]
is set to end on 25 November in Forbach where the filmmaker had previously set up shop for his earlier film Party Girl [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marie Amachoukeli, Claire B…
film profile
]
(co-directed by Claire Burger and Marie Amachoukeli), which was subsequently awarded Cannes’ Golden Camera trophy in 2014, as well as the Un Certain Regard Ensemble Prize, before receiving Best First Film nominations at the 2015 César and Lumières awards.

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For his second feature film – and his first stint as a solo director - Samuel Theis has assembled a cast composed of youngster Aliocha Reinert, rising star Antoine Reinartz (who scooped the 2018 Best Supporting Role César for BPM (Beats Per Minute) [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Arnaud Valois
interview: Robin Campillo
film profile
]
who recently shone in School Life [+see also:
trailer
interview: Zita Hanrot
film profile
]
, Alice and the Mayor [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nicolas Pariser
film profile
]
and Oh Mercy! [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Arnaud Desplechin
film profile
]
, who’ll be hitting French cinemas as of 27 November in Chanson douce, and who we’ll be seeing next year in Arthur Rambo), Izïa Higelin (who walked away with the 2013 Best New Hope César for Mauvaise fille [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
, who was especially well received in Summertime [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, Samba [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
, and Rodin [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, and who’s currently headlining Debout sur la montagne [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
) and Mélissa Olexa.

Written by the director with the help of Gaëlle Macé, the story centres around Johnny who’s ten years old, but who’s only interested in the world of adults. Living on a social housing estate in Lorraine, he observes his mother’s turbulent love life with curiosity and he, too, sets out to find love. This year, he finds himself in a new teacher’s class, that of Mr. Adamski. This year, he will discover love, and with it, a sudden awakening of his mind…

Produced by Caroline Bonmarchand on behalf of Avenue B Productions, Softie is co-produced by France 3 Cinéma. Pre-purchased by Canal+, Ciné+ and France 3, the feature film has also been granted an advance on earnings from the CNC, as well as the support of the SOFICA companies Cinécap and Cinéventure, and the Grand Est region of France, where the nine weeks of filming are unfurling, with Jacques Girault (Sauvage [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Camille Vidal-Naquet
film profile
]
) in charge of cinematography. French distribution will be managed by Ad Vitam while international sales will be entrusted to Totem Films.

For the record, Avenue B Productions’ post-production slate includes Dune Dreams by Samuel Doux, as well as the co-production The Hive [+see also:
film review
interview: Christophe Hermans
film profile
]
by Belgium’s Christophe Hermans. They will be releasing Sophie Letourneur’s Enormous [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
in cinemas on 1 April 2020, with the Parisian firm’s filmography also including Faultless [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
and School’s Out [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sébastien Marnier
film profile
]
by Sébastien Marnier, Head Above Water [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Margaux Bonhomme, Virgins [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Keren Ben Rafel and Copacabana [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Marc Fitoussi.

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(Translated from French)

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