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PRODUCTION France

Gilles Lellouche dives in at the deep end in Le Grand Bain

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- Mathieu Amalric, Virginie Efira, Guillaume Canet, Vanessa Paradis, Benoit Poelvoorde and Leïla Bekhti star in the actor's second directorial effort

Gilles Lellouche dives in at the deep end in Le Grand Bain
Actor-director Gilles Lellouche

The first clapperboard will slam on 14 February for Le Grand Bain [+see also:
film review
trailer
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]
, the second feature to be directed by actor Gilles Lellouche (best known for The Clearstream Affair [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
The Connection [+see also:
trailer
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]
Mesrine: Part 1 – Killer Instinct [+see also:
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]
and Little White Lies [+see also:
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]
, to name but a few), 12 years after the release of The Secret Adventures of Gustav Klopp (which he directed with Tristan Aurouet).

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A stellar cast is lined up for the film, including Mathieu Amalric (César Award for Best Actor in 2005 and 2008, nominated in 2014 for Venus in Fur [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Roman Polanski
film profile
]
; popular last year in Never Ever [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Victória Guerra
film profile
]
and The Son of Joseph [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
; soon to grace screens in Sleeping Beauty [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ado Arrietta
film profile
]
, and set to arrive in theatres in 2017 in Demain et tous les autres jours and Ismaël's Ghosts), Belgian actress Virginie Efira (nominated for the Lumière Award for Best Actress in 2017 for In Bed with Victoria [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Justine Triet
film profile
]
; turning heads recently in Elle [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
and Up for Love [+see also:
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]
; hitting screens in May in Not on My Watch [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
), Guillaume Canet (nominated for the César Award for Best Actor in 2015 for Next Time I'll Aim for the Heart [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
; set to appear from 15 February in his own film Rock'n Roll [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
and having just filmed Mon garçon), Vanessa Paradis (nominated for the César Award for Best Actress in 2000; hitting screens this year in Maryline and Chien), Belgium's Benoit Poelvoorde (nominated for the César Award for Best Actor in 2005 and 2006; popular last year in Saint Amour [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
), Leïla Bekhti (César Award for Most Promising Actress in 2011 and nominated for the César for Best Actress in 2012, putting on a strong performance in such films as All Three of Us [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
), Jean-Hugues Anglade (twice nominated for the César Award for Best Actor, in 1987 and 1990, and nominated for the César for Best Supporting Actor four times between 1986 and 2010, emerging victorious in 1995; the star of the series Braquo), Philippe Katerine (Gaz de France [+see also:
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]
) and Félix Moati (nominated for the César Award for Most Promising Actor in 2013 and 2016 for Télé gaucho [+see also:
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]
and All About Them [+see also:
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]
).

Written by Gilles Lellouche, Hamed Hamidi and Julien Lambroschini, the story unfolds as we follow 40-year-old Bertrand, who has been suffering from depression for the last two years and is barely able to keep his head above water. Despite the medication he gulps down all day, every day, and his wife's encouragement, he is unable to find any meaning in his life. Curiously, he will end up finding this sense of purpose at the swimming pool, by joining an all-male synchronised swimming team. For each and every one of these men, the training sessions are a way to let off steam, a sanctuary where they know their troubles will be listened to and understood. Together, they feel stronger, and soon they decide to take on a crazy gamble: taking part in the male synchronised swimming World Championships. While it may be a stupid idea, it will nevertheless allow them to rediscover their zest for life…

Produced by Alain Attal for Les Productions du Trésor and by Hugo Sélignac for Chi-Fou-Mi ProductionsLe Grand Bain will shoot for 14 weeks in Grenoble and the Paris region. The remaining partners will be announced at a later date.

Les Productions du Trésor, which showcased three films at Cannes last year (From the Land of the Moon [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Nicole GarciaThe Dancer [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Stéphanie Di Giusto and the co-production Pericle the Black [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Stefano Mordini
film profile
]
by Italy's Stefano Mordini), will release Rock'n Roll, directed by and starring Guillaume Canet (and also starring Marion Cotillard – read the news), in theatres on 15 February, and has Gangsterdam by Romain Lévy (read the article) in post-production. For its part, Chi-Fou-Mi, which produced such films as La Marche [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nabil Ben Yadir
film profile
]
by Nabil Ben Yadir, is currently working on the post-production of M by Sara Forestier (read the article) and Les Carnivores by Jérémie and Yannick Renier (co-produced by Les Films du Fleuve, and starring Leïla Bekhti and Zita Hanrot).

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(Translated from French)

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