Moreau and Tukur to star in Seraphine
Lensing began on Friday in and around Paris on Martin Provost’s Seraphine. The French/Belgian co-production stars French actress Yolande Moreau (2005 Cesar for Best Actress for When the Sea Rises), Germany’s Ulrich Tukur (The Lives of Others, see Focus) alongside Swiss actress Anne Bennent.
The film will tell of the unusual life of Séraphine de Senlis, who was born in the mid-19th century and worked as a shepherd, a housewife and a painter before finally going mad.
Provost (2006 Grand Prize for Best Scriptwriter) decided to tell the story from when Séraphine (Moreau) begins working as a maid for Madame Duphot, who rents an apartment to German art critic and dealer Wilhelm Uhde (Tukur). At a dinner, his attention is drawn to one of Séraphine’s small paintings. Fascinated, he buys it and insists that she show him her other work.
Seraphine is the third feature by Provost – who has also worked as an actor, playwright and novelist. His previous titles include Tortilla y cinema (1997) and Le Ventre de Juliette (2003).
Initially planned to be a co-production with Germany, Seraphine is now being produced by France (80%). Gilles Sacuto and Miléna Poylo are producing the title for TS Productions in association with Belgium (20%) through Climax Films.
The €3.8m production has received CNC advances on receipts of €450,000, €458,000 from the Ile de France, pre-sales and co-production funding from France 3 Cinéma, pre-sales from Canal+ and Ciné Cinéma, support from the Sofica La Banque Postale Image and backing from RTBF and the Communauté française de Belgique.
Shooting will take place in the Paris and Picardie regions until August 10 and is scheduled for completion by May 2008.
Diaphana will release the title in France, while Roissy Films will be handling international sales.
(Translated from French)
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