30/10/2025 - Pio Marmaï and William Lebghil star in the new film from the filmmaker who has been to Cannes three times, produced by Diaphana and sold by WTFilms

Actors Pio Marmaï (© Kacy Bao) and William Lebghil (© Georges Biard)

Since 13 October, Élie Wajeman has been shooting Le joueur, his fourth feature film after Alyah [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Directors' Fortnight 2012), The Anarchists [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Cannes Critics' Week 2015 and a César nomination in 2016 for Most Promising Actor) and A Night Doctor [+see also:
trailer
interview: Elie Wajeman
film profile] (Official Selection at Cannes 2020 and a César nomination in 2022 for Best Actor).

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

The cast is led by Pio Marmaï (nominated for the César Award for Best Actor in 2019 and 2022 for The Trouble With You [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pierre Salvadori
film profile] and The Divide [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Catherine Corsini
film profile], who reunites with the director after Alyah and will be seen next year in La Vénus électrique) and William Lebghil (nominated for the César Award for Most Promising Actor and the Lumière Award for Revelation in 2019 for The Freshmen [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], recently seen in Nino [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pauline Loquès
film profile] and Baise-en-ville [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]). Also appearing are Sarah Le Picard (A Night Doctor, One Fine Morning [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]), Hippolyte Girardot (nominated for the César Awards for Best Actor in 1990 and 1992, recently seen in Two Pianos [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Arnaud Desplechin
film profile]), Suzy Bemba (Homecoming [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Catherine Corsini
interview: Suzy Bemba
film profile], A Second Life [+see also:
film review
film profile]), Lionel Dray (Once Upon My Mother [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Visiting Hours [+see also:
film review
interview: Patricia Mazuy
film profile]), Esther Archambault (The Worst Ones [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Romane Gueret and Lise Akoka
film profile]), Léo-Antonin Lutinier (seen in A Night Doctor), Sonia Faidi (The Orphans), Rabah Nait Oufella (Arthur Rambo [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Laurent Cantet
film profile]), Brigitte Sy (the series L’Opéra) and Pauline Kieffer.

Written by the director and Vincent Sornaga, the story centres on Ivan Katz, a theatre director and pathological gambler who squanders his life on gambling. One fateful night, he gambles away the entire grant for his new play: Chekhov's Platonov. To win back his losses and save his show, Ivan decides to join underground poker games. While rehearsing Platonov by day, Ivan plunges into the dizzying and dangerous world of gambling by night...

Le joueur is produced by Michel Saint-Jean for Diaphana (who will handle French distribution) and co-produced by Belgian company Artémis Production. Pre-bought by Canal+, Ciné+ OCS, the RTBF, Proximus and Be tv, the feature film also benefits from support from the Ile-de-France region, advance funding from the CNC, and of the Sofica Cinecap, Palatine Étoile, Cofinova and Cofimage. Filming will take place in Paris, the Paris region, Forges-les-Eaux and Ostend until 27 November with David Chizallet (the filmmaker's regular collaborator, César and Lumière 2016 award winner in his field for Mustang [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Deniz Gamze Ergüven
film profile]) as director of photography. Music will be composed by Delphine Malaussena (nominate for a César in 2024 for Junkyard Dog [+see also:
trailer
film profile]). International sales will be handled by WTFilms.

As a reminder, on 10 December, Diaphana will release another of its productions in French cinemas, La Condition by Jérôme Bonnell.

(Translated from French)