14/06/2005

The ten-week shoot started yesterday at Clermont-Ferrand of the second feature by Xavier Giannoli: When I was A Singer. Among the cast for this sentimental drama, written by the director of highly acclaimed Les Corps impatients (2003) are Gérard Depardieu and Cécile de France who play the parts of Alain and Marion. The former, famous local personality, is a dance-hall singer with dyed hair, who lives only for this passion, performing for business shows and launches. The latter is 27 years old and has just arrived in the area, working as an estate agent. Mother of a 4 year old child, whom she had very young with a man she didn’t even love, the young woman has no idea where life is taking her until she meets Alain. He pretends that he’s looking for a house just to spend time with her, unleashing secrets and desires.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

With a budget of 7,3 million euros, When I was a singer from a screenplay by the director himself, is produced by b>Edouard Weil for Rectangle Productions and EuropaCorp (who handle French distribution and international sales). After five weeks in Clermont-Ferrand, the crew heads to Paris for the second-half of shooting.

Awarded a Palm d’Or for his short film at the Cannes Festival 1998, Xavier Giannoli’s career will accelerate with his second feature Une aventure with Nicolas Duvauchelle, Ludivine Sagnier and Bruno Todeschini, which comes out in France on September 7th. Filmed last summer, a Rectangle production, it is sold internationally by Studio Canal and distributed in France by Mars and tells the story of the meeting of Julien (Nicolas Duvauchelle) who works at night in a video library and Gabrielle (Ludivine Sagnier), a married woman who sleepwalks.

(Translated from French)