Denis Podalydès and Mathieu Demy to star in Les conquérants

by Fabien Lemercier

12/07/2012 - On Tuesday, July 17, shooting will start on Xabi Molia's second feature film: Les conquérants (lit. "The conquerers"). The director was first noticed for his feature debut Eight Times Up [trailer] (selected for San Sebastian in 2009 in the Zabaltegi Kutxa - New Directors section). For his second film, he has once again cast Denis Podalydès (photo - nominated for a 2012 Cesar for best actor for his performance in The Conquest [trailer], and who recently appeared in Granny's Funeral [trailer]), this time alongside Mathieu Demy (Tomboy [trailer, film focus], Americano [trailer]).

Written by the director, the screenplay tells the tale of two half-brothers, Galaad, a second class actor, and Noé, the coach of an obscure football team. Galaad persuades Noé that the reason for their repeated failures is that they are the victims of a curse since their father, an adventurer who disappeared, discovered then sold on the Holy Grail to a dealer. To put an end to their bad luck, they decide to find the sacred object and to bring it back to its sanctuary in the middle of the Basque mountains.

Produced by Christie Molia for Moteur s'il vous plaît, Les conquérants is co-produced by Belgian production company Iota Production (Isabelle Truc). It has been pre-acquired by Canal+ and Ciné+, and has received support from the Aquitaine region, the Pyrénées-Atlantiques General Council, and Wallimage. The film's seven weeks of filming are set to last until September 3 in Liège and in the Basque Country. Pyramide is to handle the film's distribution in France and international sales.

(Translated from French)