Monday 24 November saw filming kick off on Malika, Mounia Meddour’s third feature film after Papicha [+lee también:
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The cast of her new opus stars Moroccan musician Lilya Adad (in her big-screen debut), Camille Razat (of the series Néro and Emily in Paris), Elsa Zylberstein (nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 2009 César Awards via I’ve Loved You So Long [+lee también:
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Written by Mounia Meddour and Joanne Giger (awarded the Swiss Film Awards’ Best Screenplay Quartz in 2020 for Beyond the Horizon [+lee también:
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Nicknamed “the diva of the suburbs” and born in 1956 in a shantytown in Nanterre, on the outskirts of Paris, Malika Bellaribi Le Moal overcame a serious accident at the age of three which saw her break both her legs, her hips and her pelvis. She discovered singing during her time in hospital with the Sisters of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul. The film looks to celebrate the struggle of this woman of Algerian origin who battled racism and hardship to become a renowned opera singer on some of the most prestigious stages.

Malika is being produced by Fannie Pailloux for Apaches, with co-production outsourced to Fabrice Denizot for Solar Entertainment, in league with High Sea Production. Pre-purchased by Ciné+ OCS and France 2 Cinéma, the feature also enjoys support from the Ile-de-France region, where filming will run until 15 January, with Jeanne Lapoirie (César nominated in her field in 2003, 2014 and 2018) as director of photography. French distribution will fall to Nour Films.