14/07/2011

A strange phenomenon is sweeping through Belgian Francophone film production at the moment. In the space of barely a few months, Belgian directors have developed an unusual passion for prison life. Proof of this lies in the fact that no fewer than three prison-set projects are currently underway.

Having kicked off last May in Luxembourg, shooting on Frédéric Fonteyne’s new film, Quartier Libre (“Free Area”), has recently moved into a real Polish prison as the setting for its romantic foursome. Next autumn, FraKas Productions is set to start shooting on David Lambert’s debut feature, Hors les Murs (“Outside the Walls”), which will also make a foray into the prison world.

This month, actor and improvisation king Patrick Ridremont (photo) is working in some Luxembourg studios to recreate a rather unusual death row for his debut feature, Dead Man Talking. It tells the story of a “modern-day Scheherazade”, played by a man sentenced to death who, just before his lethal injection, takes advantage of a small detail in the execution process: he is entitled to give a final statement. Having ended up, despite himself, slipping into this gap in the system, his last words turn into a political and media storm.

For his debut film, Ridremont, who plays the lead role, has also cast François Berléand and Virginie Efira. Media-savvy Ridremont should enjoy great visibility in Belgium for his new project.

The film is produced by Sylvain Goldberg and Serge de Poucques for Nexus Factory, which is very active when it comes to prestigious co-productions, for it is currently working on Florent Emilio Siri’s Cloclo and Pierre Rambaldi’s Les Tribulations d’une Caissière (“The Tribulations of a Checkout Girl”). Dead Man Talking, which has received backing from the Belgian French Community and Wallimage, is co-produced by Luxembourg’s Bidibul Productions.

(Translated from French)