Having kicked off on 24 June, filming on Nature humaine, Denis Imbert’s 4th feature film after Vicky, Vicky and Her Mystery and On the Wandering Path, is underway in the Occitanie region where it’s due to wrap on 30 July, before shooting again between 8 and 12 December.

Stealing focus in the cast are Victor Belmondo (at his best in To Live, To Die, To Live Again, among other works) and Germany’s Emilia Schüle (especially well-received in the series Marie Antoinette and in Trial of Hein at the most recent Berlinale, and soon to be seen in the Italian movie La ragazza con la Leica), supported by David Ayala (nominated for the Best Supporting Role César via Misericordia and hitting cinemas next year in Les Princes), Sophie Guillemin (nominated twice for the Best Newcomer César and recently seen in A Private Life) and Suzanne de Baecque (eye-catching in Summer Beats, Drifting Laurent and The Crime Is Mine).

Adapted by the director together with Diastème (who also joined forces to write Imbert’ss previous film) based on Serge Joncour’s eponymous novel, the story takes us back to the summer of 1976. As a historic drought sweeps across the Lot valley, a love story unfolds between young farmer Alexandre and a young woman from Eastern Germany who’s a militant and activist…

Nature humaine is being produced by Maxime Delauney and Romain Rousseau on behalf of Nolita Cinéma, in co-production with Belgian firm Versus Production. Pre-purchased by Canal+, Ciné+ OCS and France 3 Cinéma, the feature film also enjoys support from Toulouse Métropole and the Occitanie region, where the 29-day film shoot is unspooling with Patrick Ghiringhelli (nominated for the César in his speciality thanks to The Night of the 12th, The Goldman Case and Case 137) heading up photography. World sales and distribution in French cinemas will both fall to Le Pacte.

For the record, Nolita Cinéma are also overseeing post-production on Gilles United by Grégoire Ludig (read our article) and Le Teckel by Mathieu Sapin (starring Franck Dubosc, Daphné Patakia, Chiara Mastroianni and Zabou Breitman).