Les Petits Princes: becoming a professional footballer

by Fabien Lemercier

18/06/2012 - On June 7, Vianney Lebasque started shooting his first feature, Les Petits Princes (lit. “The little princes”), a film about teenagers who dream of becoming professional footballers and who are faced with the harsh reality of a football training centre. The film is to feature Paul Bartel (photo - The Giants [trailer, film focus] and soon to appear in Michael Kohlhaas), Reda Kateb (A Prophet, Coming Home [trailer], Three Worlds [trailer]), Eddy Mitchell (L’oncle Charles), Olivier Rabourdin (Of Gods and Men [trailer, film focus]), Samy Seghir (Neuilly Yo Mama! [trailer]), Ralph Amoussou (Diaz: Don’t Clean Up This Blood), Amhed Dramé, and Mathias Mlekuz.

Written by Vianney Lebasque and Mathieu Gompel, the screenplay stars JB (Paul Bartel), a 16-year-old football prodigy, who only has one dream: to became a professional football player. When he is scouted out to join a training centre for the sport’s next great hopes, he doesn’t hesitate for a second, and decides to keep secret something that might stop him from reaching the top. In the training centre, the teenager discovers demanding trainers, competition, solidarity, and friendship. JB will face unexpected culture shock, and will have to fight to earn his place. What will he be prepared to do to reach his goal? Will he be able to impose himself on and off the field, despite what he is hiding from everybody? In the end, for a teenager who has almost reached his ultimate goal, what will be the weight of life compared to that of a dream?

Produced by Marc-Etienne Schwartz for Mesfilms and Maya Hariri and Joffrey Hutin for Rhamsa productions, Les Petits Princes has received a €550,000 advance on receipts from the CNC and aid from the Ile-De-France region. Shooting will last in and around Paris until August 3. Europacorp is to release the film in France in spring 2013.

(Translated from French)