Monday 12 May saw filming begin on Species, the debut feature by Marion Le Corroller (who also has three shorts to her name, including Dieu n'est plus médecin, presented in Clermont-Ferrand’s national competition in 2021).

The cast is led by Belgium’s Mara Taquin (nominated for 2024’s Best Actress Magritte via The Baby, for 2023’s Best Supporting Actress trophy via Zero Fucks Given [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Emmanuel Marre e Julie Lec…
scheda film] and for Best Newcomer in 2023, 2024 and 2025 via The Hive [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Christophe Hermans
scheda film], The Beast in the Jungle [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Patric Chiha
scheda film] and Life’s a Bitch [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Xavier Seron
scheda film]) and Karin Viard (awarded the Best Actress César in 2000 and nominated in 2005, 2012, 2015, 2018 and 2020; likewise the winner of 2003 and 2019’s Best Supporting Actress Césars, and hitting cinemas on 3 September in Fils de).

They’re joined by Kim Higelin (nominated for the Best Newcomer César in 2023 via Consent [+leggi anche:
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scheda film]), Sami Outalbali (nominated for the Best Newcomer César and Lumière awards in 2022 thanks to A Tale of Love and Desire [+leggi anche:
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scheda film], and recently well-received in Cannes in The Party’s Over! [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Antony Cordier
scheda film] ), Stefan Crepon (nominated for the Best Newcomer César and Lumière trophies in 2023 via Peter von Kant [+leggi anche:
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scheda film], also at his very best in Making of [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Cédric Kahn
scheda film] and The Quiet Son [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Delphine e Muriel Coulin
scheda film], and hitting cinemas on 2 July in Rapaces) and Sonia Faïdi (acclaimed in After the Fire [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] and hitting cinemas on 20 August in Orphelins).

Written by the director in league with Thomas Pujol, the story revolves around Margot who has always dreamed of becoming a doctor. While struggling to keep up with the infernal pace of A&E where she’s beginning her career, the young intern realises she’s seeing increasingly numbers of young patients affected by rare diseases. The recurring nature of these exceptional cases puzzles her, especially when she notices mysterious signs of disease appearing on her own body. What if all these illnesses actually concealed a whole other kind of truth?…

Species is produced by Carole Lambert on behalf of Windy Production, in co-production with Trésor Films, France 2 Cinéma, and Belgian firm Anga Productions, and has been pre-purchased by Canal+, Paramount+, France Télévisions, RTBF and Be TV. The feature film also enjoys the support of Île-de-France and Pays de la Loire regions, the SOFICA companies Sofitvcine and Indefilms, and the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. Filming will continue until mid-July with Guillaume Schiffman (nominated for the 2021 Oscar in his speciality by way of The Artist [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Michel Hazanavicius
scheda film] and awarded the César that same year, and nominated a further five times between 2007 and 2018) heading up cinematography. Music will be composed by Rob (nominated for the 2013 César and the 2017 Lumière) while make-up is entrusted to Pierre-Olivier Persin (awarded an Oscar for The Substance [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Coralie Fargeat
scheda film] this year). Distribution in France will fall to Wild Bunch and world sales to WTFilms.

For the record, Windy Production are notably responsible for Consent (2023) and Angel Face [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] (screened in Cannes’ 2018 Un Certain Regard section) by Vanessa Filho, Tropic of Violence [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Manuel Schapira (2022) and Shola Lynch’s documentary Free Angela and All Political Prisoners [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] (screened in Toronto’s 2012 Gala line-up).