Working with utmost discretion, as per usual, and continuing to churn out films at a metronomic pace, François Ozon has been shooting his 25th feature, Summer of Fire, since 8 June. For the record, the filmmaker is a regular at the major festivals, having been selected six times in competition in Berlin (in 2000, 2002, 2007, 2009, 2019 and 2022), four times in Cannes (in 2003, 2013, 2017 and 2021) and in Venice (in 2004, 2010, 2016, and last year with The Stranger) and five times in San Sebastian (in 2009, 2012, 2014, 2020, and 2024 with When Fall Is Coming). 

Standing out in the cast of his new opus are Pio Marmaï (nominated for the César Award for Best Actor via The Trouble With You, The Divide and The Ties that Bind Us, and twice in the Best Supporting Actor category; recently acclaimed in The Electric Kiss and the series Néro, and soon to be seen in Le Joueur) and Sandor Funtek (nominated for the César Award for Most Promising Actor thanks to Authentik, also on particularly fine form in Blue is the Warmest Colour and Nico, 1988, and set to hit French cinemas on 15 July in Comète). 

Written by the director, the screenplay centres on a man confronted with the ghosts of his past and a spiral of family secrets which threaten to destroy everything.

Summer of Fire is being produced by FOZ (the filmmaker’s company), in co-production with France 2 Cinéma and Gaumont (who will steer distribution in France and world sales). A 25-day shoot is on the cards in Normandy through 15 July with Belgian DoP Manu Dacosse (awarded the Jury Prize in San Sebastián 2015 for Evolution and the 2026 Lumières Award for Best Cinematography for The Stranger; also nominated for the César Award in his field for the same film, as well as being the winner of three Magritte Awards in 2015, 2016 and 2019, and a René this year for Reflection in a Dead Diamond) serving as director of photography. The film’s full line-up of partners will be unveiled at a later date.