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PRODUCTION France

With The Tournament, Elodie Namer plunges deep into the world of chess

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- Michelangelo Passaniti, Lou de Laâge and Magne-Hàvard Brekke star in a debut feature handled by 24 Mai Production and sold by MK2

With The Tournament, Elodie Namer plunges deep into the world of chess
Lou de Laâge

According to our sources, shooting is set to begin in mid-March for Elodie Namer’s debut feature film, The Tournament [+see also:
trailer
interview: Lou de Laâge
film profile
]
. The cast includes Michelangelo Passaniti, Lou de Laâge (who rose to fame in J'aime regarder les filles [+see also:
trailer
interview: Lou de Laâge
film profile
]
and was nominated for the César for Best Newcomer in 2014 for Jappeloup [+see also:
trailer
interview: Lou de Laâge
film profile
]
), Norwegian actor Magne-Hàvard Brekke (Goodbye First Love [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mia Hansen-Love
film profile
]
) and Adam Corbier.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

Written by the director herself, the story kicks off in the present day, at the Grand International Chess Open in Budapest. The current French champion, twenty-two-year-old Cal Fournier (Passaniti), is fiercely doing battle with his opponents by following the strategies developed by his coach, Viktor (Brekke). He kills time by playing all sorts of games with his chums Fabien, Anthony, Mathieu and Lou (de Laâge). However, an opponent who is somewhat out of the ordinary looks set to throw a spanner in the works of his well-oiled routine: Max (Corbier), an unorthodox and rebellious 11-year-old Hungarian boy. Cal, increasingly obsessed by this unexpected challenger, searches for a way to defeat him at all costs and re-evaluates his own life. But what can you do when all of the possible moves you can make will make you lose?

Produced by Lola Gans for 24 Mai Production, The Tournament is being co-produced by France 2 Cinéma. Pre-purchased by Orange Cinéma Séries and backed by an advance on receipts from the CNC, the production will continue filming until mid-April at the Royal Barrière Hotel in Deauville and in Budapest (at the Gellert Spa and Bath, at a disused airport, and with some location shots in the city itself). Distribution in France will be handled by Diaphana and international sales by MK2.

24 Mai Production’s first project was Alyah [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Elie Wajeman (screened at the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes in 2012), and it currently has Les Nuits d'été by Mario Fanfani (read the article) in post-production.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

(Translated from French)

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