Grand Corps Malade and Mehdi Idir filming La Vie Scolaire
- Zita Hanrot, Liam Pierron, Soufiane Guerrab, Moussa Mansaly and Alban Ivanov are among the cast of this Mandarin and Kallouche production being sold by Gaumont
On the heels of their highly successful feature-length directorial debut, Step by Step [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (1.28 million admissions in France in 2017, four nominations for the 2018 César Awards, including in the Best Film category, and three nods for the Lumières Awards), duo Grand Corps Malade and Mehdi Idir are getting stuck right into their second feature, School Life [+see also:
trailer
interview: Zita Hanrot
film profile] , the shoot for which kicked off last Monday. The cast includes Zita Hanrot (César Award for Most Promising Actress in 2016 for Fatima [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Philippe Faucon
film profile], also proving popular in The Party’s Over [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marie Garel-Weiss
film profile] and currently gracing screens in Paul Sanchez Is Back! [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]), Liam Pierron, and three actors who previously appeared in Step by Step: Soufiane Guerrab, Moussa Mansaly (On the Sly [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Insecure [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marianne Tardieu
film profile]) and Alban Ivanov (C’est la vie! [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Sink or Swim [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]).
The story, written by the pair of directors, is set in an educational establishment in Saint-Denis, in the inner suburbs of Paris, and immerses us in its day-to-day life. According to a few clues dished out so far by the filmmakers, the plot will revolve around several students and the path they take, and will attempt to use a comedic tone to tackle societal questions linked to so-called "high-priority education network" areas.
As was the case for Step by Step, this movie is being produced by Eric and Nicolas Altmayer for Mandarin Production and by Jean-Rachid Kallouche for Kallouche Cinéma. School Life is being co-produced by Gaumont and France 3 Cinéma, has been pre-purchased by OCS and Canal+, and has also secured support from Fimalac. The seven-week shoot will take place in Ile-de-France, with Antoine Monod serving as DoP. The music will be composed by Angelo Foley (nominated for the 2018 Lumières Award in his category, together with Grand Corps Malade, for Step by Step). The French distribution and international sales will be managed by Gaumont.
As a reminder, Mandarin Production currently has By the Grace of God [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: François Ozon
film profile] by François Ozon (see the article), White as Snow [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Anne Fontaine (see the article), Le Mystère Henri Pick by Rémi Bezançon (see the article) and The Emperor of Paris [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Jean-François Richet (see the article) in post-production.
(Translated from French)
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