30/05/2005

Filming began today on L’Homme de sa vie, the second feature film by Zabou Breitman with a cast including Charles Berling, Bernard Campan and Lea Drucker. Formerly an actress, the new filmmaker made a thunderous entrance into the director's realm in 2002 with Se souvenir des belles choses which picked up three Cesars (for Best First Feature, Best Actress and Best Male in a supporting role) and sold almost 600 000 tickets in France. Not hesitating in attacking so-called difficult subjects, she chose to follow her piece on Alzheimer's disease with the theme of homosexual passion within the framework of a dramatic comedy, from a screenplay co-written with Agnhs De Sacy (il est plus facile pour un chameau....). In L’Homme de sa vie, Bernard Campan (who also played the lead role in Se souvenir des belles choses) falls in love with Charles Berling who previously played a homosexual in 1997 in Nettoyage à sec by Anne Fontaine. As for Lea Drucker, she plays Bernard Campan s wife.

Produced by Philippe Godeau for Pan Européenne, which also handles French distribution, L’Homme de sa vie had a budget of 7,25 million euros, including co-production contributions from France 3 Cinéma and Rhtne-Alpes Cinema. The film also received Advance on Receipts of 380 000 euros from the National Film Centre (CNC). Scheduled for 8 weeks (a 41 day shoot), filming will take place mostly in the south of the Drtme and in the Vaucluse, plus a week in Paris. Release in the French cinemas is already set for the 2nd quarter of 2006.

(Translated from French)