Wallimage Coproductions has freed up 1,190,000 euros in its 124th session, a sum set to be shared between five new projects: three live action feature films, one animated series and one animated feature film.

Standing tall among them is Michaël R Roskam’s new movie. The Flemish filmmaker, who exploded onto the world stage with his first feature film Bullhead [+lee también:
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entrevista: Bart Van Langendonck
entrevista: Michaël R. Roskam
ficha de la película] – a film noir of rare intensity which won an array of awards and was nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar – prepares Le Faux Soir, an ambitious historical film which looks back on a spectacular episode for the Belgian Resistance who distributed a fake satirical newspaper to the populace at the height of the Second World War, right under the Nazi occupiers’ noses. Having previously teamed up with Flemish firm Savage Film, this time round the director will be supported by Liège outfit Frakas Productions, co-produced in France by Rectangle Productions and Goodfellas.

Another large-scale historical film on the Walloon agenda is French director Pierre Salvadori’s first foray into this particular arena (after offering up Les Apprentis, Priceless [+lee también:
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ficha de la película] and having been selected in Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight and nominated at the Césars for The Trouble With You [+lee también:
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entrevista: Pierre Salvadori
ficha de la película]), which takes us to Paris in the early 20^th century to follow in the footsteps of a painter and his model in Venus Electrificata. The cast of this movie includes Gilles Lellouche, Charlotte Le Bon and Pio Marmaï and filming is due to kick off soon. The title is steered by Versus Productions in Belgium and produced by Les Films Pelléas in France.

Wallimage will also be throwing its weight behind the sixth opus relaying the adventures of Ducobu, which has already received assistance in the past (Ducobu passe au vert !). Ducobu et le fantôme de Saint-Potache will be directed by Elie Seimoun, just like the three previous episodes. As the title implies, he’ll be embarking on a variety of fantastical escapades this time round. Shooting will unfold over the summer in Belgium, where the team feels at home and in something of a homecoming since the character is based on the Belgian comic book series created by Zidrou and Godi. Elie Seimoun will be returning to the cast as Professor Latouche, alongside Frédérique Bel and Emilie Caen. Les Films du 24 are once again producing the film in France, reuniting with their Belgian partner Umedia.

The fund has also singled out animated feature The Lion Queen, directed by Luxembourg animator Carlo Vogele, to whom we owe the movie Icarus and the Minotaur which was released in 2022. This new work follows the adventures of an aging opera singer who’s disconnected from the new generation, but who finds a rather unconventional way of finding his way back into the fold. The vocal cast comprises Roberto Alagna, Christophe Willem, Louane, and Belgians Loïc Nottet and Mentissa. The film is produced by Luxembourg firm Iris Productions, in collaboration with Iris Films (Belgium), Rezo Productions (France) and Groupe Morgane (France).

Last but not least, Wallimage will also be lending support to Marsupilamis, which is the first 3D TV adaptation of the world of Franquin, developed by Ellipse Animation (France) and Belvision (Belgium).