BNVG makes it three in a row with Un si beau voyage
Filming begins today in Paris on Khaled Ghorbal’s Un si beau voyage (lit. “Such a Beautiful Journey”), the second feature by the French-Tunisian director and the third title to be produced in 2007 by outfit BVNG Productions.
Frédéric Bellaiche and Geoffroy Grison’s company hope to be at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival with at least one of their two completed films: Raphaël Nadjari’s Tehilim [+see also:
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Both titles are being sold internationally by Films Distribution.
Initiated and co-produced by Valerie Sass-Loichi for Yoko Films, Un si beau voyage – which stars French actor Farid Choppel (It’s Gradiva Who Is Calling You [+see also:
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film profile], Bled Number One [+see also:
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Written by Ghorbal – who first came to acclaim at the 2002 Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight with Fatma – the film follows Mohamed, a retired worker who spent his whole life in worker’s lodgings in rundown Parisian suburbs. Evicted from his room because of his age, Mohamed decides to return to his native Tunisia, which, after a long absence, offers some surprises. This story about returning to one’s roots has been described by the director as "a tale on exile and loneliness”.
The €1.9m Un si beau voyage (a 91% production by France and 9% by Tunisia) has been pre-sold to Canal + and Ciné Cinéma. The film has also received CNC advances on receipts of €420,000 and Ile-de-France funding of €304,000.
The 38-day shoot starts with three weeks in the Ile-de-France region before heading to southern Tunisia.
The film is slated for a 2008 release. Negotiations on who will handle French distribution and international sales are still underway.
(Translated from French)
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