13/11/2007

Final preparations are underway before shooting begins on November 22 in Paris on Circuit fermé (“Closed Circuit”), Christine Dory’s debut feature starring Guillaume Depardieu (Don’t Touch the Axe [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) and Marie Vialle (a renowned stage actress who has also appeared in films, including Michel Spinosa’s Enchanted Interlude and Vincent Dietschy’s Julie est amoureuse).

The director attracted attention with her medium-length film Blonde et Brune (“Blonde and Brunette”)in 2005 and also co-wrote the screenplay for the Swiss animated film Max & Co [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Samuel and Frédéric Guillaume, set for release on French cinema screens on February 13.

Co-written by Dory and Gaëlle Macé (co-author of, among others, Magaly Richard-Serrano’s On The Ropes [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and Éléonore Faucher’s A Common Thread, lauded at the Critic’s Week at Cannes 2004), the story of Circuit fermé retraces the story of Boris (Depardieu) and Sandra (Vialle), a couple caught up in a spiral of amorous passion and drug addiction.

From their initial encounter to their separation, the film examines how their romantic aspirations are put to the test, and what they stand to gain and lose from their relationship, in a drama in which the tyranny of drug dependency collides with the raw and unfettered power of love.

Produced by Martine Marignac for Pierre Grise Productions, Circuit fermé has a budget of around €2.5m, including an advance on receipts from the National Centre for Cinematography (CNC) and €418,000 in financial support from the Ile-de-France region.

Set to last seven weeks, filming will take place almost entirely in Paris, except for one day of shooting in the North. French distribution (which could be handled directly by Pierre Grise) and international sales are still under negotiation.

(Translated from French)