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PRODUCTION France / Germany / Canada / Turkey

The shoot for It Must Be Heaven enters the home stretch

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- The new film by Elia Suleiman, staged by Rectangle Productions together with Pallas Films, Nazira Films, Possibles Media and ZeynoFilm, is being sold by Wild Bunch

The shoot for It Must Be Heaven enters the home stretch
Director Elia Suleiman

Palestinian filmmaker Elia Suleiman will be in Montreal from 16 October-4 November to finish off the shoot for It Must Be Heaven [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Elia Suleiman
film profile
]
, his fourth feature, following Chronicle of a Disappearance (Best First Film Award at Venice in 1996), Divine Intervention (Jury Prize at Cannes in 2002) and The Time That Remains [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 (in competition on the Croisette in 2009).  

The story, written by the director (who is also the film’s central character and narrator, as is his wont), sees Elia Suleiman escape from Palestine seeking an alternative homeland, only to realise that Palestine is always there, just behind him. The promise of a new life soon turns into a comedy of errors. However far he travels, from Paris to New York or Doha, something reminds him of home: the police, border controls and racism are never far away… And while he does everything he can to integrate into a new society, trying to erase the traces of his nationality, everyone constantly reminds him of where he has come from. As he wanders and wonders, through searching and self-searching, Suleiman asks the fundamental question: where can we truly call home? This is a burlesque saga exploring identity, nationality and belonging, in which humour brings new hope for others and for Suleiman himself.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

Produced by Edouard Weil and Laurine Pelassy for Rectangle Productions (France), Elia Suleiman for Nazira Films (France), Thanassis Karathanos and Martin Hampel for Pallas Film (Germany), Serge Noël for Possibles Media (Canada) and Zeynep Atakan for ZeynoFilm (Turkey), It Must Be Heaven has been pre-purchased by ZDF/Arte. The feature has also secured backing from Eurimages, the CNC’s World Cinema Support and co-production aid within the scope of the French-German mini co-production treaty (run by the CNC and the FFA), in addition to support from the MDM (Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung), the SODEC, TFC, Georges Schoucair (of Shortcut Films) and the AFAC. The ten-week shoot is taking place in three tranches, in Nazareth, Paris and Montreal: from 6-25 May, followed by 23 July-17 August, and finally 16 October-4 November. The cinematography has been entrusted to Sofian El Fani (César Award in his category in 2015 for Timbuktu [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 and nominated for Blue Is the Warmest Colour [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Abdellatif Kechiche
film profile
]
in 2014). The French distribution will be handled by Le Pacte and the international sales by Wild Bunch.

As a reminder, Rectangle Productions has recent movies such as Climax [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Souheila Yacoub
film profile
]
 by Gaspar Noé (currently on the cinema listings), The Trouble-Shooter [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 by Julien Guetta and Nocturama [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bertrand Bonello
film profile
]
 by Bertrand Bonello under its belt, and co-produced To the Ends of the World [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Guillaume Nicloux
film profile
]
 by Guillaume Nicloux (set to come out in France on 5 December). My Polish Honeymoon [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 by Elise Otzenberger, which was unveiled at Angoulême, will be out in 2019, as will Losing It [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 by Audrey Diwan (starring Pio Marmaï and Céline Sallette). Finally, the Paris-based outfit has just kicked off the shoot for #iamhere [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 by Eric Lartigau (starring Alain Chabat and South Korea’s Doona Bae).

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

(Translated from French)

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