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PRODUCTION France

De Force, The Fisherman in Marylin line-up

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Business has got off to a flying start for Marylin Productions, headed by Franck Chorot (former manager of Gaumont), which has two very different features in the shooting phase: Frank Henry’s thriller De Force (“By Force”) and Sylvain Estibal’s satirical comedy The Fisherman (aka When Pigs Have wings). Both films are three-way European co-productions.

Shooting kicked off on October 20 in Luxembourg on De Force, whose cast includes Isabelle Adjani (Best Actress Cesar 2010 for Skirt Day [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
), Eric Cantona (Looking for Eric [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Cannes 2009
Ken Loach

interview: Steve Evets - actor
film profile
]
), Simon Abkarian (The Army of Crime [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
), Thierry Frémont (State Affairs [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
), Anne Consigny (Rapt [+see also:
trailer
interview: Lucas Belvaux
film profile
]
), Slimane Dazi (A Prophet [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jacques Audiard
interview: Jacques Audiard and Tahar R…
film profile
]
) and Lin Dan Pham (All That Glitters [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
).

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This is the debut feature by Henry, a former crook and alleged member of the “Postiches Gang”, who spent more than 20 years in prison before reinventing himself as an author and screenwriter (notably for TV series Braquo).

Scripted by the director, the film follows police superintendent Clara Damico (Adjani), who must neutralize a gang which has committed a series of extremely violent robberies. Her only lead is Manuel Makarov (Cantona), a well-known figure of organised crime who is serving a 12-year prison sentence.

She promises him freedom in exchange for his collaboration, but he refuses. She therefore forces his hand, making him escape against his will and obliging him to get back in contact with and infiltrate the "All Blacks” gang so they can be caught red-handed.

Produced by Marylin Productions, De Force (whose shoot will wrap in mid-December) is co-produced by Studio 37, Luxembourg’s Iris Productions and Belgium’s Iris Films and Umedia, with backing from the Luxembourg Film Fund, among others. Studio 37 has delegated French distribution to Rezo Films, which also handles international sales.

At the end of this week, shooting will also wrap in Cologne on The Fisherman, the debut feature by writer Sylvain Estibal. Starring Sasson Gabai (The Band’s Visit [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
), this sardonic comedy centres on Jafaar, a Palestinian fisherman who hauls up in his nets a pig which has fallen from a cargo ship. Determined to get rid of this impure animal, he nonetheless tries to sell it in order to improve his impoverished life. This plunges him into some hilarious situations, which reflect the irony of daily life for Palestinians, caught between Israeli oppression and Islamic extremism.

Produced by Marylin Productions, the film is co-produced by Belgium’s Saga Film, Germany’s Barry Film and StudioCanal, which will manage French distribution and international sales. The film has backing from numerous sources, including Eurimages, the Franco-German mini-treaty, NRW Fund and Malta Film Commission.

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(Translated from French)

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