25/06/2009

Shooting starts next Thursday on the seventh feature by Jean-Paul Civeyrac, a favourite among film lovers and festival selectors. Centring on two rebellious and dangerous teenage girls, his new work, Des Filles en Noir (“Girls in Black”), stars Elise Lhomeau, Léa Tissier and Elise Caron.

Written by the director, the film is set in a provincial city. Noémie and Priscilla, two 17-year-old girls from modest backgrounds, harbour the same despair, the same disgust at the world and the same violence.

These girls are a cause of concern to close relations and everyone around them, as they’re perhaps capable of anything.

Discovered in Venice in 1996 with his debut feature (Neither Eve Nor Adam), Civeyrac was selected at the Berlinale Forum in 2002 with two films (Spirits and Men’s Gentle Love), in the Filmmakers of the Present section at Locarno in 2003 with All the Fine Promises (which also won the Jean Vigo Award) and at Toronto in 2005 with Through the Forest.

Produced by Philippe Martin (who has collaborated on all of Civeyrac’s features) and Lola Gans for Les Films Pelléas (who are also currently filming Pierre Salvadori’s Soins Complets - see news), Des Filles en Noir has a €2.1m budget. This includes an advance on receipts from the National Film Centre (CNC), backing from the Rhône Alpes and Centre regions, a pre-sale from Ciné Cinéma and support from the Sofica fund La Banque Postale Image.

Shooting will take place from July 2-August 14 in the city of Orléans and the county of Isère. Domestic distribution and international sales will be managed by Les Films du Losange.

(Translated from French)