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PRODUCTION France

“Invisible” spies track terrorists

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Principal photography begins today on spy thriller Secret défense, the third feature directed by Philippe Haïm, who first came to public acclaim with Barracuda (1997) and The Daltons (2004).

The cast features veteran actor Gérard Lanvin (Césars for Best Actor, 1995 and Best Supporting Actor, 2001), Vahina Giocante (99 F [+see also:
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), Nicolas Duvauchelle (The Second Wind [+see also:
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), Simon Abkarian (Casino Royale [+see also:
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), Rachida Brakni, Mehdi Nebbou and Aurélien Wilk.

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Written by the director with the participation of Nathalie Carter, the story centres on Alex (Lanvin), a high-ranking officer of the French secret service, which receives information about a potential terrorist attack on France by an international Islamic terrorist network.

Between tracking down the network, dirty dealings within the secret service, political power plays at the height of an electoral campaign and the need for ground action, Alex is also forced to recruit French civilian Diane (Giocante) for the operation.

Meanwhile, Pierre (Duvauchelle), a Frenchman who recently converted to Islam, follows the tracks of the Jihad, from Brussels to Afghanistan. Although Alex and Pierre may not know each other, their destinies are closely linked: they are "the invisibles".

Stephane Berthomet, a former police officer specialising in organised crime and anti-terrorism, consulted on the film’s screenplay and production, also providing his expertise on Alfred Lot’s La Chambre des morts, which opens in cinemas on November 14 and stars Mélanie Laurent, Eric Caravaca and Gilles Lellouche.

Produced by Yves Marmion for UGC YM, Secret défense carries a €11.9m budget and will have a 67-day shoot in Morocco and in and around Paris.

Local distribution is slated for the second half of 2008 through UGC, who is also handling international sales.

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(Translated from French)

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