EXCLUSIVE: Khalil Cherti primed to shoot Ce qui me mène à toi
- Nina Meurisse, Sofian Khammes, Géraldine Nakache and Maria de Medeiros are starring in the filmmaker’s debut feature, steered by Kazak Productions
Monday 19 January will see the first clapperboard slam on Ce qui me mène à toi, the debut feature film by Khalil Cherti who turned heads with his shorts La Grande Muraille de Qin (screened in Clermont-Ferrand’s national competition in 2011), D’où que vienne la douleur (selected in Locarno’s international competition in 2013 and awarded a Special Mention for acting in Clermont-Ferrand’s 2014 national competition) and T’embrasser sur le miel (the winner of the Canal+ Prize and the Young Audience trophy in Cinemed 2021).
The cast is led by Nina Meurisse (awarded the 2025 Best Supporting Actress César for Souleymane’s Story [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Boris Lojkine
film profile] and well received last year in Julian [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Cato Kusters
film profile]) and Sofian Khammes (notably at his best in The Swarm [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Just Philippot
film profile], La Traviata, My Brothers and I [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] and After the Fire [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], as well as in the series BRI), supported by Géraldine Nakache (All that Glitters [+see also:
trailer
film profile], And Yet We Were All Blind [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Béatrice Pollet
film profile]), Portugal’s Maria de Medeiros (crowned Best Actress in Venice 1994 via Two Brothers, My Sister, also awarded a trophy for Captains of April, among other works, and more recently Moral Order [+see also:
trailer
film profile]), Aurélia Petit (seen in Saint Omer [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alice Diop
interview: Kayije Kagame
film profile], among other works, and soon to appear in La guerre des prix), Claire Dumas (especially brilliant in Hello Madness [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]) and Younes Boucif (nominated for the 2026 Best Newcomer Lumière thanks to Spices and Lies [+see also:
film review
film profile]).
Written by the director in league with Simon Serna, the story follows Charlie and Hicham who are both in their thirties and who love each other madly but who are unable to have children due to infertility. They set out on a journey of assisted reproduction. For three years, they put their love and their bodies to the test, buffeted between hope and disappointment and embarking on an odyssey which overturns their lives…
Ce qui me mène à toi is being produced by Amaury Ovise on behalf of Kazak Productions, in co-production with Kiss Films. Pre-purchased by Ciné+ OCS and TMC, the feature film also enjoys support in the form of an advance on receipts and backing from the Images de la Diversité Fund, courtesy of the CNC, as well as support from the Occitanie region, Toulouse Métropole and the SOFICA company Cofinova. The 25-day film shoot will unfold in Toulouse until 20 February, with Frida Marzouk (Promised Sky [+see also:
film review
interview: Erige Sehiri
film profile], Where the Wind Comes From [+see also:
film review
interview: Amel Guellaty
film profile]) heading up cinematography. The film’s release in French cinemas will fall to Condor Distribution.
For the record, Kazak Productions are currently overseeing post-production on the co-productions Gentle Monster by Austria’s Marie Kreutzer (article), The Dreamed Adventure by Germany’s Valeska Grisebach, The Spiral by Italy’s Paolo Strippoli (article) and Dua by Kosovar director Blerta Basholli.
(Translated from French)
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