After having kicked off on 5 November, the shoot for Gilles United, the feature-length directorial debut by actor Grégoire Ludig, is continuing in Brittany until 16 December. Standing out among the cast are the first-time director himself (Best Actor Award at Sitges in 2020 for Mandibles [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Quentin Dupieux
scheda film], also popular in Three Friends [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] and Keep an Eye Out [+leggi anche:
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scheda film], among other movies), Nina Meurisse (nominated for the César Award for Most Promising Actress in 2020 for Camille [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Boris Lojkine
scheda film], a winner in the Best Supporting Actress category this year for Souleymane’s Story [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Boris Lojkine
scheda film] and also giving a strong performance last summer in the Toronto-screened Julian [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Cato Kusters
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scheda film]).

Also among the cast are Bernard Campan (nominated for the César Award for Best Actor in 2003 for Beautiful Memories [+leggi anche:
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scheda film], popular recently in Beautiful Minds [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] and currently gracing screens in Jean Valjean), Sarah Suco (nominated for the César Award for Best Supporting Actress this year for The Marching Band [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Emmanuel Courcol
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The story, written by Grégoire Ludig himself, revolves around 41-year-old Gilles Le Diben, a driving instructor and football fan who has always dreamed of having a professional career in England, just like Éric Cantona. However, he has wound up supervising hill starts on the byways of Brittany. His passion exasperates his daughter, who avoids him, and his wife, the manager of the driving school, has no choice but to fire him – and then leave him. But Gilles will keep his chin up. To win back the love of those dearest to him and be the apple of their eyes once again, he decides to start over from scratch and become that great football player he’s always dreamed of being. At the age of 41. Well, nearly 42…

Gilles United is being produced by Gurvan Riou for Blagbuster and by Mathieu Ageron, Maxime Delauney and Romain Rousseau for Nolita; it is being co-produced by TF1, and has also been pre-purchased by Disney+ and Prime Video. The feature, which has also secured support from the Brittany region and from the La Banque Postale Image Sofica, will be released in French theatres by Apollo Films. Its international sales have been entrusted to Other Angle Pictures.