19/07/2016 - Denis Ménochet and Léa Drucker will feature in the Oscar-nominated filmmaker’s first feature, a KG Productions film, which will be distributed in France by Haut et Court

Director Xavier Legrand

Since 11 July, Xavier Legrand, the filmmaker who monopolised the short-film award scene with Avant que de tout perdre (nominated at the Oscars in 2014, which also won the César Award that same year and picked up four prizes at Clermont-Ferrand in 2013, including the Grand Prize and the Audience Award), has been shooting for his first feature film, Jusqu’à la garde [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Xavier Legrand
film profile]. Heading up the cast are Denis Ménochet (who received international recognition in Inglourious Basterds [+see also:
trailer
film profile], won the Lumière Award in 2012 for Best New Actor for his role in Les adoptés [+see also:
trailer
film profile], and was well received for his roles in Grand Central [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rebecca Zlotowski
film profile], Le Skylab [+see also:
trailer
film profile], The Program [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
interview: Stephen Frears
film profile] and The Dancer [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], among others), Léa Drucker (at the top of her game in The Blue Room [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mathieu Amalric
film profile], Je me suis fait tout petit [+see also:
trailer
film profile] as well as Arrêtez-moi là [+see also:
trailer
film profile], and who was seen recently appearing in News from Planet Mars [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]), young actor Thomas Gioria and Mathilde Auneveux. The supporting cast features names such as Florence Janas, Saadia Bentaieb, Sophie Pincemaille, Emilie Incerti Formentin, Jean-Marie Winling, Martine Vandeville, Jean-Claude Leguay and Martine Schambacher. 

Written by the director, the screenplay sees the Bessons divorce. The mother, Miriam, wants sole custody of their son, Julien. It takes the Family Court judge some 20 minutes to award the parents joint custody, citing that it is in the child’s best interests. And so Antoine, who cannot stand this separation from his partner, succeeds in maintaining his parental right to stay in contact with Miriam. Held captive by a violent man and used as a human shield by a hunted woman, Julien will do everything he can to ensure that the worst doesn’t happen. 

Produced by Alexandre Gavras for KG Productions, Jusqu'à la garde has been pre-purchased by France 3, Canal+ and Ciné+. Principal photography for the film, which is also backed by the CNC through an advance on receipts, as well as by the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, will run until 11 August across Paris, Dijon and Beaune. Haut et Court will handle the film’s domestic distribution.

(Translated from French)