“Emily in Paris” star Camille Razat, Elsa Zylberstein (“Simone: Woman of the Century”) and Lyna Khoudri (“The Three Musketeers”) will lead a WW2-set romance drama directed by “Papicha” helmer Mounia Meddour.
The movie is produced by Vanessa Djian at Daï Daï Films, a Newen Studios company, and co-produced by Genevieve Lemal at Scope in Belgium, and Bidibul in Luxembourg. Eric Jollant is executive producing. Wild Bunch Distribution will handle the theatrical release in France.
The untitled feature, whose exact plot remains under wrap, is loosely based on a play by Jean-Philippe Daguerre and was penned by Joanne Diger (“Le milieu de l’horizon”). It revolves around a love story unfolding against the backdrop of the liberation of Paris in 1944 which marked the end of the Nazi occupation of the French capital.
Djian had previously worked on “Farewell, Mr. Haffmann,” another movie set during WW2, in Nazi-occupied Paris. A male actor will join the cast at a latter stage and will have an important role in the film. Pablo Pauly will also star. Shooting will kick off in France on May 26.
The project marks Djian’s first collaboration Meddour. The producer, who co-founded a sorority club for women in the industry in Paris called Girls Supports Girls, has been working with many talented female filmmakers, notably Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre on her 2019 movie “Nevada” starring Matthias Schoenaerts.
Meddour made her feature debut with “Papicha” which was set in Algeria and followed rebellious young women who refuse to bow down to fundamentalism. The movie world premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and went on to win Cesar Awards for best first film and best promising actress for Khoudri, who also starred in Meddour’s follow up, “Houria.”
