PRODUCTION / FUNDING France / Belgium
Anissa Bonnefont is wrapping filming on The House
- Ana Girardot, Aure Atika, Rossy de Palma, Yannick Rénier and Philipe Rebbot star in the cast of the director’s first fiction feature, produced by Radar Films
Running 10 to 14 January, the second and final shooting session (following an earlier shoot session from 15 November to 13 December) has now kicked off for The House [+see also:
trailer
film profile], the first fiction feature film by Anissa Bonnefont, who previously turned heads with her documentaries Wonder Boy [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Anissa Bonnefont
film profile] (awarded a Special Mention in Tribeca 2020 and nominated for the 2021 César in its category) and Nadia (2021).
The cast stars Ana Girardot (nominated for 2014’s Acting Revelation Lumière thanks to High Society [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and Next Time I’ll Aim for the Heart [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], and who’ll be gracing cinemas from 9 March in Ogre, as well as appearing in the Totems series this year), Aure Atika (nominated for 2010’s Best Supporting Role César and recently at her best in Rose [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]), Spain’s Rossy de Palma (a very familiar face in Pedro Almodovar’s movies, including his latest opus Parallel Mothers [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
film profile]), Belgium’s Yannick Rénier (recently seen in the French series L’Opéra) and Philipe Rebbot (hitting cinemas on Wednesday by way of The Road Ahead [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and on 16 March via Trois fois rien, not to mention in Pétaouchnock later this year).
Written by Anissa Bonnefont and Diastème (who won the Orizzonti Prize for Best Screenplay in Venice 2019 by way of Back Home [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]) and based upon Emma Becker’s novel of the same name, the story of The House revolves around 27-year-old Emma, a French woman who heads off to live in Berlin and decides to spend some time in a brothel so as to learn about and understand sex workers – women who are paid to be women and that alone, and who are set to form the focus of her new novel. In gonzo journalism style, Emma becomes one of them and ultimately remains with them for two years, despite only intending to stay for several weeks. Was writing her book simply a pretext for Emma to live out the type of fantasy that’s hard to admit to in our society? From one bedchamber to another and from one woman to the next, the film guides us through a “forbidden” world.
Production of The House is outsourced to Clément Miserez and Matthieu Warter on behalf of Radar Films, in co-production with Belgium’s Umedia and Rezo Films (who will also handle distribution in France). Pre-purchased by Canal+ and OCS, the feature film has enjoyed a four-week film shoot (in Brussels, with several scenes also shot in Berlin) with Yann Maritaud (nominated for the 2021 Cinematography Lumière thanks to Slalom [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Charlène Favier
film profile]) heading up photography.
For the record, Radar Films are currently overseeing post-production on On The Wandering Path [+see also:
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film profile] by Denis Imbert (toplined by Jean Dujardin – read our article), Say Cheese [+see also:
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film profile] by François Uzan, Belle and Sebastian - Next Generation [+see also:
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film profile] by Pierre Coré (in cinemas from 19 October) and Canailles [+see also:
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film profile] by Christophe Offenstein.
(Translated from French)
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