email print share on Facebook share on Twitter share on LinkedIn share on reddit pin on Pinterest

PRODUCTION France

Ziad Doueiri shooting The Insult

by 

- The director of The Attack is in Beirut, hard at work on a film being staged by Tessalit and Rouge International, and sold by Indie Sales

Ziad Doueiri shooting The Insult
Director Ziad Doueiri

Last week saw the start of the shoot for Ziad Doueiri’s fourth fiction feature in Beirut: The Insult [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ziad Doueiri
film profile
]
. Following West Beirut (revealed in the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight in 1998), Lila Says (in competition at Sundance in 2005) and The Attack [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ziad Doueiri
film profile
]
(unveiled at Toronto in 2012 and the winner of a Special Mention at San Sebastián), the former assistant cameraman on Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown then made the TV series Republican Gangsters (broadcast at the beginning of the year in France on Canal+, with the international SVoD rights having been acquired by Amazon). For his return to the big screen in this co-production between France, Lebanon, Cyprus and Belgium, he has assembled a cast including Adel Karam (Caramel [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
), Christine Choueiri, Kamel El Basha, Rita Hayek, Elie Njem, Tatal El Jurdi, Camil Salameh, Diamand Bou Abboud and Georges Daou.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

Written by the director together with Joëlle Touma, the story tackles the topics of justice, dignity and the need to make amends for the past, through a heated dispute between a Lebanese man and a Palestinian man, following a trifling incident. Toni, a Lebanese Christian, is watering the plants on his balcony. The water accidentally drips onto the head of Yasser, a Palestinian and foreman of the adjoining worksite. A heated dispute breaks out. Yasser, beside himself, hurls an insult at Toni. His dignity wounded, Toni decides to take Yasser to court. A long trial ensues, during which Lebanese Christians and Palestinians clash...

Produced by French outfits Tessalit Productions (Jean Bréhat and Rachid Bouchareb – who already partnered up with the filmmaker on West Beirut and The Attack), Rouge International (Julie Gayet and Nadia Turincev) and Ezekiel Film, The Insult is being co-produced by Douri Films and Belgian company Scope Pictures. Having been pre-purchased by Canal+ and Ciné+, the feature is also benefiting from backing from the CNC via World Cinema Support. Distribution in France will be handled by Diaphana, while the international sales are managed by Indie Sales.

Tessalit Productions made quite a splash at the recent Cannes Film Festival (either directly or through its sister company, 3B) with Slack Bay [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Bruno Dumont
film profile
]
by Bruno Dumont, Chouf [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Karim Dridi and Mercenary [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sacha Wolff
film profile
]
by Sacha Wolff, while Rouge International took pride of place on the Croisette with Raw [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Julia Ducournau
film profile
]
by Julia Ducournau and its co-production Mimosas [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Oliver Laxe
film profile
]
by Spaniard Oliver Laxe

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

(Translated from French)

Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.

Privacy Policy