“What if there were a shark in the Seine?” is, one can only assume, a question that Parisians ponder on a daily basis. It’s also brilliant in its simplicity, if not quite as appealingly silly a high-concept premise as “what if there were snakes on a plane?” and “what if the moon … fell?” Look no further than “Under Paris” for an answer to the hypothetical that surely keeps Emmanuel Macron up at night, as Netflix’s new thriller swims rather than sinks as it adds life to a genre that’s been bloodless for far too long.
Most importantly, director Xavier Gens (“Lupin”) plays it straight — there’s no winking at the crowd or so-bad-it’s-good posturing, just killer set-pieces and a firm understanding of the fact that the best creature features are those in which you see the creature as little as possible.
In much the same way...
Most importantly, director Xavier Gens (“Lupin”) plays it straight — there’s no winking at the crowd or so-bad-it’s-good posturing, just killer set-pieces and a firm understanding of the fact that the best creature features are those in which you see the creature as little as possible.
In much the same way...
- 6/4/2024
- by Michael Nordine
- Variety Film + TV
Given how trailers and even teasers give away most of the film’s plot, I tend to just watch 10–20 seconds of it and make up my mind. Under Paris had me hooked based on its premise that there’s a shark in the Seine. As a fan of shark films, I didn’t need to know much more before diving into it. Now, seemingly unrelated to that, I was watching a video by Patrick Willems about what’s going to be the next big thing in the world of entertainment after superhero movies. While on the topic of legacy sequels, Willems mentioned Steven Spielberg. That got me thinking: while Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park got the legacy sequel treatment twice, why hasn’t anybody done a legacy sequel for Jaws? Sure, the sequels were bad, but they were profitable. It’s considered the foundation stone for shark films as well...
- 6/3/2024
- by Pramit Chatterjee
- DMT
Netflix’s Seine-set shark thriller Under Paris could be taken off the platform within days of its release on June 5 due to legal proceedings brought by a writer-director who claims it was developed without his knowledge from an original idea he registered with France’s rights management body Sacd in 2011.
An initial hearing on June 14 will pass judgement on a legal request by the complainant’s lawyer for the film’s release to be suspended while a second lawsuit around accusations of parasitism makes its way through the courts.
Taking its cue from article 1240 of France’s Civil Code, parasitism is defined as one party following in the footsteps of another party’s efforts and know-how to benefit from their enterprise without seeking permission or making payment.
Set against the backdrop of the upcoming Paris Olympics and plans to hold the swimming leg of the triathlon contest in the Seine,...
An initial hearing on June 14 will pass judgement on a legal request by the complainant’s lawyer for the film’s release to be suspended while a second lawsuit around accusations of parasitism makes its way through the courts.
Taking its cue from article 1240 of France’s Civil Code, parasitism is defined as one party following in the footsteps of another party’s efforts and know-how to benefit from their enterprise without seeking permission or making payment.
Set against the backdrop of the upcoming Paris Olympics and plans to hold the swimming leg of the triathlon contest in the Seine,...
- 5/30/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Rolling off their partnership on Studiocanal’s “‘Mayhem!” (“Farang”) and Netflix hit movie “Watch Under Paris,” popular genre filmmaker Xavier Gens (“Gangs of London”) is joining forces with Vincent Roget and Eric Lavaine’s banner Sameplayer to launch a new production company.
Named Good Players, the Paris-based company will aim at developing and producing action, thriller, aventure, fantasy and horror movies that have an international appeal. The inaugural slate of projects includes “Les Opposums,” directed by Eva Munoz (“Hannya”); “Drive” by Abel Danan; “C’est pas nous les diables” by Meryl Estragnat (“Promenons-nous”), and “Ferris Wheel” by Julien Hosmalin (“Magic World”). These projects will enter production between this year’s second half and end of 2025.
Gens, who is based in Paris, is also currently developing with Netflix “Malin Fors,” a gritty series based on Mons Kallentoft’s Scandinavian novels. Gens, who will produce via Good Players and direct, said the...
Named Good Players, the Paris-based company will aim at developing and producing action, thriller, aventure, fantasy and horror movies that have an international appeal. The inaugural slate of projects includes “Les Opposums,” directed by Eva Munoz (“Hannya”); “Drive” by Abel Danan; “C’est pas nous les diables” by Meryl Estragnat (“Promenons-nous”), and “Ferris Wheel” by Julien Hosmalin (“Magic World”). These projects will enter production between this year’s second half and end of 2025.
Gens, who is based in Paris, is also currently developing with Netflix “Malin Fors,” a gritty series based on Mons Kallentoft’s Scandinavian novels. Gens, who will produce via Good Players and direct, said the...
- 5/21/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
For the 36th year, Discovery Channel’s beloved, week-long annual celebration known as “Shark Week” is once again swimming our way, set to kick off on Sunday, July 7, 2024!
Discovery Channel has announced this week that WWE superstar / “Peacemaker” star John Cena will be hosting “Shark Week,” which has been lighting up your summer since 1988.
Discovery previews, “Shark Week hosted by John Cena promises to be an electrifying and unforgettable experience that will leave you in awe of the world beneath the waves.
“One of the highlights of this week-long event will be the premiere of Belly of the Beast Pt. 2, an intense and eye-opening show that delves into the world of great white shark feeding frenzies. You can also look forward to Monster Hammerhead: Species X, a captivating exploration of a potential new species of hammerhead sharks! Plus, Great White Serial Killer: Sea of Blood, a gripping tale of...
Discovery Channel has announced this week that WWE superstar / “Peacemaker” star John Cena will be hosting “Shark Week,” which has been lighting up your summer since 1988.
Discovery previews, “Shark Week hosted by John Cena promises to be an electrifying and unforgettable experience that will leave you in awe of the world beneath the waves.
“One of the highlights of this week-long event will be the premiere of Belly of the Beast Pt. 2, an intense and eye-opening show that delves into the world of great white shark feeding frenzies. You can also look forward to Monster Hammerhead: Species X, a captivating exploration of a potential new species of hammerhead sharks! Plus, Great White Serial Killer: Sea of Blood, a gripping tale of...
- 5/15/2024
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Despite ancient humans having already overcome several potential doomsday scenarios in real life, post-apocalyptic fiction used to be relatively rare until the invention of the atomic bomb convinced us that the end of the world could be just around the proverbial corner.
Since then, we’ve seen many different stories about the collapse of civilization and the strange societies that might emerge from the rubble, but I’d argue that one of the most interesting of these apocalyptic visions is the post-nuclear America of the iconic Fallout games. A witty satire of American jingoism and cold war shenanigans, it’s honestly baffling that it so long for us to finally see a live-action adaptation of this memorable setting.
Thankfully, Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet’s Fallout TV show isn’t just a great adaptation – it’s also an incredibly fun standalone story that makes the most of its post-apocalyptic worldbuilding.
Since then, we’ve seen many different stories about the collapse of civilization and the strange societies that might emerge from the rubble, but I’d argue that one of the most interesting of these apocalyptic visions is the post-nuclear America of the iconic Fallout games. A witty satire of American jingoism and cold war shenanigans, it’s honestly baffling that it so long for us to finally see a live-action adaptation of this memorable setting.
Thankfully, Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet’s Fallout TV show isn’t just a great adaptation – it’s also an incredibly fun standalone story that makes the most of its post-apocalyptic worldbuilding.
- 5/2/2024
- by Luiz H. C.
- bloody-disgusting.com
Samuel Goldwyn Films is bringing shark attack movie Something in the Water to select theaters and VOD outlets at home on May 3, Bloody Disgusting has learned this week.
In the upcoming aquatic horror movie, “An idyllic destination wedding turns into a battle for survival. The film follows Meg, who tentatively attends the wedding of old friend Lizzie in the Caribbean along with fellow pals Cam and Ruth, plus her former partner Kayla who she parted ways with after both survived a deeply traumatic event.”
Naturally, the wedding party is invaded by hungry sharks and all hell breaks loose.
You can watch the official trailer for Something in the Water below. The shark attack horror film is directed by Hayley Easton Street, featuring a screenplay written by Cat Clarke.
Hungry for more shark attack horror? Netflix and director Xavier Gens are getting set to unleash Under Paris, which swims onto the...
In the upcoming aquatic horror movie, “An idyllic destination wedding turns into a battle for survival. The film follows Meg, who tentatively attends the wedding of old friend Lizzie in the Caribbean along with fellow pals Cam and Ruth, plus her former partner Kayla who she parted ways with after both survived a deeply traumatic event.”
Naturally, the wedding party is invaded by hungry sharks and all hell breaks loose.
You can watch the official trailer for Something in the Water below. The shark attack horror film is directed by Hayley Easton Street, featuring a screenplay written by Cat Clarke.
Hungry for more shark attack horror? Netflix and director Xavier Gens are getting set to unleash Under Paris, which swims onto the...
- 4/17/2024
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
French actor Guillaume Canet is starring, writing and producing the new Netflix thriller Ad Vitam.
Rodolphe Lauga (It’s Complicated) is directing the action film, which has begun shooting in Paris. Netflix will release the movie worldwide next year.
Canet plays Franck Lazareff who, after surviving an attempt on his life, finds his wife has been kidnapped by a mysterious group of armed men. Trying to rescue her, Frank finds his past catching up with him. Stéphane Caillard, Nassim Lyes, Zita Hanrot and Alexis Manenti co-star.
Canet and Lauga co-wrote the script to Ad Vitam in association with David Corona and Canet is producing, together with Jean Cottin for the Cabanes shingle.
Canet recently directed himself as Gallic comic book hero Asterix in the live-action feature Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom and appeared in the French thriller Breaking Point. from director Yvan Attal. The multi-hyphenate has directed several films, including...
Rodolphe Lauga (It’s Complicated) is directing the action film, which has begun shooting in Paris. Netflix will release the movie worldwide next year.
Canet plays Franck Lazareff who, after surviving an attempt on his life, finds his wife has been kidnapped by a mysterious group of armed men. Trying to rescue her, Frank finds his past catching up with him. Stéphane Caillard, Nassim Lyes, Zita Hanrot and Alexis Manenti co-star.
Canet and Lauga co-wrote the script to Ad Vitam in association with David Corona and Canet is producing, together with Jean Cottin for the Cabanes shingle.
Canet recently directed himself as Gallic comic book hero Asterix in the live-action feature Asterix & Obelix: The Middle Kingdom and appeared in the French thriller Breaking Point. from director Yvan Attal. The multi-hyphenate has directed several films, including...
- 4/17/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
There are sharks all up in the Seine in Netflix’s upcoming aquatic horror, Under Paris. Here’s the first trailer.
At some point, sharks will club together and get a PR manager; until then, we’ll keep getting films like Jaws, Sharknado, and upcoming efforts like Beast Of War, Something In The Water and Renny Harlin’s Deep Water.
To the ever-growing list we can now add Under Paris, coming to a small screen near you this summer courtesy of Netflix. If you haven’t gathered already: yes, the film really is about sharks swimming up the Seine to terrorise all the hundreds of people that (presumably) swim in Paris’ waters on any given day.
Yes, it’s all incredibly silly, but if the trailer’s anything to go by, everyone involved knows it’s all incredibly silly. Under Paris is directed by Xavier Gens, who broke through with the extremely gory 2007 indie horror,...
At some point, sharks will club together and get a PR manager; until then, we’ll keep getting films like Jaws, Sharknado, and upcoming efforts like Beast Of War, Something In The Water and Renny Harlin’s Deep Water.
To the ever-growing list we can now add Under Paris, coming to a small screen near you this summer courtesy of Netflix. If you haven’t gathered already: yes, the film really is about sharks swimming up the Seine to terrorise all the hundreds of people that (presumably) swim in Paris’ waters on any given day.
Yes, it’s all incredibly silly, but if the trailer’s anything to go by, everyone involved knows it’s all incredibly silly. Under Paris is directed by Xavier Gens, who broke through with the extremely gory 2007 indie horror,...
- 4/9/2024
- by Ryan Lambie
- Film Stories
French filmmaker Xavier Gens has directed a shark thriller titled Under Paris for Netflix. Check out the film’s first trailer above.
Set in the near future, in the summer of 2024, Paris is hosting the World Triathlon Championships on the Seine for the first time. Sophia, a brilliant scientist, learns from Mika, a young environmental activist, that a large shark is swimming deep in the river. To avoid a bloodbath at the heart of the city, they have no choice but to join forces with Adil, the Seine River police commander.
In the first trailer, you can see French authorities attempting to find a way to capture the unwieldy shark, which is terrorizing the River Seine.
The film stars Bérénice Bejo, Nassim Lyes, Léa Léviant, Iñaki Lartigue and José Antonio Pedrosa Moreno. Filmmaker Gens previously worked with the streamer on the popular Lupin series, starring Omar Sy. His other credits...
Set in the near future, in the summer of 2024, Paris is hosting the World Triathlon Championships on the Seine for the first time. Sophia, a brilliant scientist, learns from Mika, a young environmental activist, that a large shark is swimming deep in the river. To avoid a bloodbath at the heart of the city, they have no choice but to join forces with Adil, the Seine River police commander.
In the first trailer, you can see French authorities attempting to find a way to capture the unwieldy shark, which is terrorizing the River Seine.
The film stars Bérénice Bejo, Nassim Lyes, Léa Léviant, Iñaki Lartigue and José Antonio Pedrosa Moreno. Filmmaker Gens previously worked with the streamer on the popular Lupin series, starring Omar Sy. His other credits...
- 4/9/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
In the article series Sound and Vision we take a look at music videos from notable directors. This week we look at Ronan Keating and Paulina Rubio's When You Say Nothing At All, directed by Xavier Gens. Before he became one of the key figures of New French Extreme cinema (a wave of particularly brutal French horror movies in the late nineties and early aughts), and one of the prime examples of what they call vulgar auteurism, Xavier Gens was a music video director. His highest profile video was the one for Ronan Keating and Paulina Rubio's version of When You Say Nothing At All, which was already a hit as a solo-version for Ronan Keating. The version of the video that was directed...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 1/29/2024
- Screen Anarchy
Fresh off the just-released action movie Mayhem!, French filmmaker Xavier Gens (Frontiers, Cold Skin) will soon return with the shark attack movie Under Paris for Netflix.
Under Paris is said to be an “ambitious elevated genre film,” and it seems it’ll be swimming its way onto Netflix sometime this summer. You’ll find the film’s French poster art below.
Variety details, “Set in Summer 2024, the film unfolds in Paris which is hosting the World Triathlon Championships on the Seine for the first time. Sophia, a brilliant scientist, learns from Mika, a young environmental activist, that a large shark is swimming deep in the river.
“To avoid a bloodbath at the heart of the city, they have no choice but to join forces with Adil, the Seine river police commander.”
Bérénice Bejo (The Artist) and Nassim Lyes (Overdose) star.
Stay tuned for more information on Netflix’s Under Paris as we learn it.
Under Paris is said to be an “ambitious elevated genre film,” and it seems it’ll be swimming its way onto Netflix sometime this summer. You’ll find the film’s French poster art below.
Variety details, “Set in Summer 2024, the film unfolds in Paris which is hosting the World Triathlon Championships on the Seine for the first time. Sophia, a brilliant scientist, learns from Mika, a young environmental activist, that a large shark is swimming deep in the river.
“To avoid a bloodbath at the heart of the city, they have no choice but to join forces with Adil, the Seine river police commander.”
Bérénice Bejo (The Artist) and Nassim Lyes (Overdose) star.
Stay tuned for more information on Netflix’s Under Paris as we learn it.
- 1/12/2024
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Searchlight Pictures’ Poor Things rounded out the top ten this weekend and American Fiction from Amazon MGM Studios continued its slow burn with both films in the running for big awards at the Golden Globes tonight.
Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things starring Emma Stone grossed $2 million in week five on 750 screens for a cume of $14.2 million.
Poor Things has a raft of Globe noms for Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Director and Original Score and acting noms for Stone, Willem Dafoe and Mark Ruffalo.
America Fiction by Cord Jefferson had a $1M+ weekend on 114 screens (up from 40) for a cume of $2.98 million. The film starring Jeffrey Wright is in week four, the latest this season to find success in a slow platform release. It’s up for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Male Actor for Wright.
The numbers show “positive word-of-mouth is percolating,” said Amazon MGM’s theatrical distribution chief Kevin Wilson,...
Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things starring Emma Stone grossed $2 million in week five on 750 screens for a cume of $14.2 million.
Poor Things has a raft of Globe noms for Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Director and Original Score and acting noms for Stone, Willem Dafoe and Mark Ruffalo.
America Fiction by Cord Jefferson had a $1M+ weekend on 114 screens (up from 40) for a cume of $2.98 million. The film starring Jeffrey Wright is in week four, the latest this season to find success in a slow platform release. It’s up for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Male Actor for Wright.
The numbers show “positive word-of-mouth is percolating,” said Amazon MGM’s theatrical distribution chief Kevin Wilson,...
- 1/7/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s quiet for specialty openings after the holidays, in the thick of awards season. But one film needed this weekend — Abramorama documentary A Storm Foretold by Danish director Christoffer Guldbrandsen about the Maga movement and the Jan. 6 insurrection. The filmmaker captured footage over years of on-and-off access to Roger Stone.
It’s booked for over 20 rolling playdates in the next two weeks so far including the Quad Cinema in New York where Guldbrandsen will be holding Q&As all weekend.
Stone was former president Donald Trump’s closest political confidante and the film spans several years through Jan. 6, 2021. As Congress gathered that day to approve the election and declare Joe Biden the winner, less than a mile away, Donald Trump was urging a crowd to march towards the Capitol. Hours later, five people were killed and 141 wounded. With Stone as its central character, A Storm Foretold sees the storming...
It’s booked for over 20 rolling playdates in the next two weeks so far including the Quad Cinema in New York where Guldbrandsen will be holding Q&As all weekend.
Stone was former president Donald Trump’s closest political confidante and the film spans several years through Jan. 6, 2021. As Congress gathered that day to approve the election and declare Joe Biden the winner, less than a mile away, Donald Trump was urging a crowd to march towards the Capitol. Hours later, five people were killed and 141 wounded. With Stone as its central character, A Storm Foretold sees the storming...
- 1/5/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Horror hits the ground running in 2024, and judging by the current release slate, the genre has no intention of slowing down anytime soon. 2024’s horror slate is densely packed already, and it doesn’t even touch on the yet-to-be-announced features and surprise festival gems.
Welcome to Bloody Disgusting’s 2024 Horror Preview.
How massive will 2024 be for horror? If this preview of the year’s looming horror offerings is any indication, horror fans may be spoiled for choice. Of course, expect some release dates to shift and many surprises yet to get announced in the coming months. In other words, this is only the tip of the iceberg.
Here are 51 horror movies we’re excited to check out in 2024.
Mayhem! – January 5
Xavier Gens, the filmmaker behind New French Extremity entry Frontier(s), is kicking off the new year with a violent actioner follows a boxer’s quest for bone-breaking, merciless revenge.
Welcome to Bloody Disgusting’s 2024 Horror Preview.
How massive will 2024 be for horror? If this preview of the year’s looming horror offerings is any indication, horror fans may be spoiled for choice. Of course, expect some release dates to shift and many surprises yet to get announced in the coming months. In other words, this is only the tip of the iceberg.
Here are 51 horror movies we’re excited to check out in 2024.
Mayhem! – January 5
Xavier Gens, the filmmaker behind New French Extremity entry Frontier(s), is kicking off the new year with a violent actioner follows a boxer’s quest for bone-breaking, merciless revenge.
- 1/2/2024
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
If you’d like to kick off the new year with some hard-hitting action, you probably can’t go wrong with Mayhem!, a new action thriller from director Xavier Gens (Gangs of London). IFC Films has released the first trailer for Mayhem!, which stars kickboxer-turned-actor Nassim Lyes as an ex-con battling his way through Thailand to avenge his wife and save his daughter.
Mayhem! premiered at Montreal’s Fantasia Film Festival earlier this year and earned rave reviews. If the movie is anything like the trailer, those raves were well deserved. In the vein of Taken and The Raid, the film features “jaw-dropping fight sequences and captivating camera movements, while transcending the traditional action genre with the story’s emotional core paired with artful cinematography.” I’ll admit that this one had slipped under my radar, but it’s definitely got my attention now.
Related Joe Lynch’s Mayhem hits...
Mayhem! premiered at Montreal’s Fantasia Film Festival earlier this year and earned rave reviews. If the movie is anything like the trailer, those raves were well deserved. In the vein of Taken and The Raid, the film features “jaw-dropping fight sequences and captivating camera movements, while transcending the traditional action genre with the story’s emotional core paired with artful cinematography.” I’ll admit that this one had slipped under my radar, but it’s definitely got my attention now.
Related Joe Lynch’s Mayhem hits...
- 12/7/2023
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
French filmmaker Xavier Gens (Frontiers, Cold Skin) is back with brand new action thriller Mayhem!, and IFC Films has unleashed the trailer and release date this week.
Mayhem! will be available in theaters and everywhere you rent movies on January 5, 2024.
The film’s trailer is loaded with bone-crunching action and multiple rave reviews that praise the fight choreography and the nonstop action on display in Xavier Gens’ latest.
Watch the official trailer for Mayhem! below.
In the film, “Sam (Nassim Lyes) is a professional boxer about to be released from prison in France, but while on parole, his past catches up with him and he is forced to flee the country. Five years later, he has rebuilt a simple life on an exotic island in Thailand with his wife Mia and her daughter Dara, working multiple jobs to support his family and buy a piece of land to build a restaurant.
Mayhem! will be available in theaters and everywhere you rent movies on January 5, 2024.
The film’s trailer is loaded with bone-crunching action and multiple rave reviews that praise the fight choreography and the nonstop action on display in Xavier Gens’ latest.
Watch the official trailer for Mayhem! below.
In the film, “Sam (Nassim Lyes) is a professional boxer about to be released from prison in France, but while on parole, his past catches up with him and he is forced to flee the country. Five years later, he has rebuilt a simple life on an exotic island in Thailand with his wife Mia and her daughter Dara, working multiple jobs to support his family and buy a piece of land to build a restaurant.
- 12/7/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
"What have you done?!" "You woke up the beast." IFC Films has revealed a new US trailer for the intense action film set mostly in Thailand titled Mayhem! (aka Farang), the latest creation from the French genre filmmaker Xavier Gens (of Frontier(s), The Divide, Cold Skin). The film already opened in France in June and premiered at the 2023 Neuchatel Fantastic Film Festival in the summer, now set for an early January release in the US. Sam is an exemplary inmate. A few months before his release from prison, he is diligently preparing for his reintegration. During a leave, his past catches up with him and an accident leaves him only one choice: escape. Five years later, after rebuilding his life in Thailand, he has founded the family he had always dreamed of. But Narong, the local godfather, forces him to plunge into delinquency again. When Sam wants to stop everything,...
- 12/7/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Brussels-based co-production and financing powerhouse Umedia — the backer of recent festival sensation “How to Have Sex” (pictured) and French Oscar submission “The Taste of Things” — is branching out. Complimenting co-production, tax shelter fundraising and VFX services through subsidiary Ufx Studios, Umedia has now launched a development branch to bring in-house productions to the screen.
First among them is “Bloody Brixel Bar,” a YA-skewing horror comedy that Umedia co-ceo Bastien Sirodot describes as a Belgian answer to “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Created by upcoming Belgian screenwriter Diane Ntahimpera in collaboration with Amélie Pernot and co-produced by Belgian Heroes, the series follows a reluctant teenage hero, Olivia, tasked with a supernatural cleanup mission.
“With all our activities thriving and with experienced production teams in-house, we believe it’s the perfect time to expand our horizons and venture into development,” Sirodot tells Variety. “’Bloody Brixel Bar’ is a horror series that draws upon...
First among them is “Bloody Brixel Bar,” a YA-skewing horror comedy that Umedia co-ceo Bastien Sirodot describes as a Belgian answer to “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Created by upcoming Belgian screenwriter Diane Ntahimpera in collaboration with Amélie Pernot and co-produced by Belgian Heroes, the series follows a reluctant teenage hero, Olivia, tasked with a supernatural cleanup mission.
“With all our activities thriving and with experienced production teams in-house, we believe it’s the perfect time to expand our horizons and venture into development,” Sirodot tells Variety. “’Bloody Brixel Bar’ is a horror series that draws upon...
- 10/11/2023
- by Ben Croll
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix has unveiled trailer for Lupin Season 3.
The third instalment of the streamer’s smash French crime thriller sees Assane (Omar Sy) in hiding, learning to live far from his wife and son. With the suffering they endure because of him, Assane can’t stand it any longer and decides to return to Paris to make them a crazy proposal: leave France and start a new life elsewhere. But the ghosts of the past are never far away, and an unexpected return will turn his plans upside down.
Trailer shows the usual mix of action and comedy expected from what has become one of Netflix’s biggest international hits over the years, regularly performing well in the worldwide charts and local top 10s.
A clip was released several months ago and the first teaser trailer a year ago.
Series also stars Ludivine Sagnier, Antoine Gouy, Soufiane Guerrab and Shirine Boutella.
The third instalment of the streamer’s smash French crime thriller sees Assane (Omar Sy) in hiding, learning to live far from his wife and son. With the suffering they endure because of him, Assane can’t stand it any longer and decides to return to Paris to make them a crazy proposal: leave France and start a new life elsewhere. But the ghosts of the past are never far away, and an unexpected return will turn his plans upside down.
Trailer shows the usual mix of action and comedy expected from what has become one of Netflix’s biggest international hits over the years, regularly performing well in the worldwide charts and local top 10s.
A clip was released several months ago and the first teaser trailer a year ago.
Series also stars Ludivine Sagnier, Antoine Gouy, Soufiane Guerrab and Shirine Boutella.
- 9/6/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Farang! Photo: courtesy of Frightfest
A filmmaker who has never been afraid to explore the subject of violence, since his début feature, Frontière(s), in which a group of criminals seeks refuge in an inn run by a group of neo-Nazis, Xavier Gens returns with his revenge thriller Farang (Mayhem!).
The story centres on Sam (Nassim Lyes), who flees to Thailand after being involved in a fatal altercation. There he sets up home with Mia (Loryn Nounay) and her daughter. Their seemingly tranquil life is disrupted when Sam makes a fateful choice, thrusting him and his family into what seems to be an inescapable cycle of destructive violence.
Following the film's international première at Fantasia, Gens spoke with Eye For Film about the influence of the late William Friedkin and the importance of emotion driving the action.
Farang Photo: Courtesy of IFC Films.
Paul Risker: Why film as a means of creative expression?...
A filmmaker who has never been afraid to explore the subject of violence, since his début feature, Frontière(s), in which a group of criminals seeks refuge in an inn run by a group of neo-Nazis, Xavier Gens returns with his revenge thriller Farang (Mayhem!).
The story centres on Sam (Nassim Lyes), who flees to Thailand after being involved in a fatal altercation. There he sets up home with Mia (Loryn Nounay) and her daughter. Their seemingly tranquil life is disrupted when Sam makes a fateful choice, thrusting him and his family into what seems to be an inescapable cycle of destructive violence.
Following the film's international première at Fantasia, Gens spoke with Eye For Film about the influence of the late William Friedkin and the importance of emotion driving the action.
Farang Photo: Courtesy of IFC Films.
Paul Risker: Why film as a means of creative expression?...
- 9/1/2023
- by Paul Risker
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Welcome to Global Breakouts, Deadline’s new strand in which, each fortnight, we shine a spotlight on the TV shows and films killing it in their local territories. The industry is as globalized as it’s ever been, but breakout hits are appearing in pockets of the world all the time and it can be hard to keep track. So we’re going to do the hard work for you.
This week we visit French director Xavier Gens’s Thailand-set fight-fest Farang, which has shown independent French action movies can hold their own in cinemas and find international buyers. Released against a real-life background of fury towards the police following the killing of a French teenager during a traffic stop in June, the film has shown there remains an appetite for genre movie in the country.
Name: Farang
Country: France
Distributor: Studiocanal
Networks: Canal+, France Télévisions
Where to watch: Due...
This week we visit French director Xavier Gens’s Thailand-set fight-fest Farang, which has shown independent French action movies can hold their own in cinemas and find international buyers. Released against a real-life background of fury towards the police following the killing of a French teenager during a traffic stop in June, the film has shown there remains an appetite for genre movie in the country.
Name: Farang
Country: France
Distributor: Studiocanal
Networks: Canal+, France Télévisions
Where to watch: Due...
- 7/25/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The horror festival runs August 24-28 in London
Joe Stephenson’s Doctor Jekyll starring Eddie Izzard will have its world premiere at the UK’s horror and fantasy film festival FrightFest (August 24-28) as the full line-up is unveiled.
Izzard will play Nina Jekyll, the infamous scientist with a dark alter-ego, in a modern adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s book by placing a woman in the titular role.
Doctor Jekyll is one of 25 world premieres screening at the festival, which takes place at Cineworld Leicester Square in London.
Opening FrightFest will be the European premiere of Joe Lynch’s...
Joe Stephenson’s Doctor Jekyll starring Eddie Izzard will have its world premiere at the UK’s horror and fantasy film festival FrightFest (August 24-28) as the full line-up is unveiled.
Izzard will play Nina Jekyll, the infamous scientist with a dark alter-ego, in a modern adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s book by placing a woman in the titular role.
Doctor Jekyll is one of 25 world premieres screening at the festival, which takes place at Cineworld Leicester Square in London.
Opening FrightFest will be the European premiere of Joe Lynch’s...
- 7/13/2023
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
The UK’s biggest horror and genre festival returns to London this August, with another gloriously gory programme. Kicking off with the European premiere of much anticipated new body horror Suitable Flesh from genre legend Joe Lynch, FrightFest’s 2023 summer event boasts a whopping seventy films across four screens, and this year will return to being entirely under one roof, at the Cineworld Leicester Square.
Among the heavy-hitters in the festivals line-up are Farang, the latest “French blockbuster” from fantasy favourite Xavier Gens, Hitman); Where the Devil Roams, the newest chiller from family filmmaking team John, Zelda, Toby and Lulu Adams; Paris Zarcilla’s SXSW breakout hit Raging Grace and transgender director Alice Maio Mackay’s game changing Australian thriller T Blockers, shot by a predominantly queer, non-binary and trans cast and crew.
Documentary fans will be spoiled for choice, too, with new films on the legacy of J-horror, Brian Yuzna...
Among the heavy-hitters in the festivals line-up are Farang, the latest “French blockbuster” from fantasy favourite Xavier Gens, Hitman); Where the Devil Roams, the newest chiller from family filmmaking team John, Zelda, Toby and Lulu Adams; Paris Zarcilla’s SXSW breakout hit Raging Grace and transgender director Alice Maio Mackay’s game changing Australian thriller T Blockers, shot by a predominantly queer, non-binary and trans cast and crew.
Documentary fans will be spoiled for choice, too, with new films on the legacy of J-horror, Brian Yuzna...
- 7/13/2023
- by Ben Robins
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
FrightFest, the UK’s biggest, best and most beloved community-driven horror & fantasy film festival, returns in a blaze of gory glory to the Cineworld Leicester Square, London, for its 24th edition, a press release announced this morning.
“Running from Thursday August 24 – Monday 28 August, Pigeon Shrine FrightFest is a joyful big screen celebration of genre cinema, offering a carnival of carnage, a smorgasbord of shock and a tableau of terror. This year, over five days, audiences can explore the magic of menace, mayhem and mischief with seventy films programmed across four screens. There are twenty-five world, twenty-three International / European and twelve UK premieres, with fourteen countries represented, spanning five continents.
The festival opens with the European premiere of Suitable Flesh, the latest shocker from FrightFest favourite Joe Lynch, who has created an outlandish love letter to the late, great Re-Animator director Stuart Gordon; a new body horror take on H.P Lovecraft...
“Running from Thursday August 24 – Monday 28 August, Pigeon Shrine FrightFest is a joyful big screen celebration of genre cinema, offering a carnival of carnage, a smorgasbord of shock and a tableau of terror. This year, over five days, audiences can explore the magic of menace, mayhem and mischief with seventy films programmed across four screens. There are twenty-five world, twenty-three International / European and twelve UK premieres, with fourteen countries represented, spanning five continents.
The festival opens with the European premiere of Suitable Flesh, the latest shocker from FrightFest favourite Joe Lynch, who has created an outlandish love letter to the late, great Re-Animator director Stuart Gordon; a new body horror take on H.P Lovecraft...
- 7/13/2023
- by Brad Miska
- bloody-disgusting.com
With the 27th edition of Canada’s largest genre festival, the Fantasia International Film Festival, about to start, there’s a lot to get excited about. Guests including Nicolas Cage, Barbara Crampton, Jennifer Reeder, Larry Fessenden and Xavier Gens are en route to Montreal for three weeks of horror, science fiction, fantasy, action and animé screenings which include some of the big titles of the year ahead, alongside which there will be filmmaking masterclasses, panels and parties and the networking opportunities from which exciting new projects will emerge. With all this going on, we decided to start small and look at some of the lesser known gems which you may want to seek out this time around.
Talk To Me
Talk To Me Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute
Amber Wilkinson writes: The idea of peer pressure takes on fresh menace in the hands of Danny and Michael Philippou. The Australian...
Talk To Me
Talk To Me Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute
Amber Wilkinson writes: The idea of peer pressure takes on fresh menace in the hands of Danny and Michael Philippou. The Australian...
- 7/11/2023
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
My favourite film festival is back for another year! With its wide variety of films, spanning almost every genre, there’s literally a film for everyone, and this year’s Fantasia is no different. Although the full line-up has yet to be announced, he’s a handful of the movies to be looking out for already.
Lovely, Dark and Deep – This is the directorial debut of Teresa Sutherland, writer of The Wind and on Midnight Mass – a small but excellent C.V. Starring Barbarian’s Georgina Campbell in its lead, she plays a park ranger in an isolated forest post, the site of multiple disappearances. This genre movie promises to be visually stunning while also bringing the scares. Fantasia will host its World Première. Aporia – Another World Première, this one from writer/director Jared Moshe. A time-bending, character-driven sci-fi movie starring Judy Greer. That description is enough to garner most...
Lovely, Dark and Deep – This is the directorial debut of Teresa Sutherland, writer of The Wind and on Midnight Mass – a small but excellent C.V. Starring Barbarian’s Georgina Campbell in its lead, she plays a park ranger in an isolated forest post, the site of multiple disappearances. This genre movie promises to be visually stunning while also bringing the scares. Fantasia will host its World Première. Aporia – Another World Première, this one from writer/director Jared Moshe. A time-bending, character-driven sci-fi movie starring Judy Greer. That description is enough to garner most...
- 7/3/2023
- by Alain Elliott
- Nerdly
‘Wields such power by illustrating how the boundaries of the body are horrifically violated by politics and ideology’
★★★★
Father Son Holy Gore
‘Xavier Gens debut is a bludgeoning, bloody trawl through the tropes of survival horror, with a strong political subtext’
Anton Bitel
‘The real surprise of Frontier(s) is that this creepy, bloody contemporary gross-out also has some ideas, visual and otherwise, wedged among its sanguineous drips’
The New York Times
‘Despite all its primal brutality, Frontier(s) is a deep, intelligent and very political movie’
ESplatter
Dare you cross Frontier(s)? The shockingly violent and darkly disturbing horror from Xavier Gens (Hitman, Gangs of London) in his 2007 directorial debut, is set for a brand-new Limited Edition Blu-ray Box set release alongside a Standard Edition Blu-ray version from experts in the field Second Sight Films on 24th July 2023.
Shocking and thrilling audiences and offending (some) critics on its original release,...
★★★★
Father Son Holy Gore
‘Xavier Gens debut is a bludgeoning, bloody trawl through the tropes of survival horror, with a strong political subtext’
Anton Bitel
‘The real surprise of Frontier(s) is that this creepy, bloody contemporary gross-out also has some ideas, visual and otherwise, wedged among its sanguineous drips’
The New York Times
‘Despite all its primal brutality, Frontier(s) is a deep, intelligent and very political movie’
ESplatter
Dare you cross Frontier(s)? The shockingly violent and darkly disturbing horror from Xavier Gens (Hitman, Gangs of London) in his 2007 directorial debut, is set for a brand-new Limited Edition Blu-ray Box set release alongside a Standard Edition Blu-ray version from experts in the field Second Sight Films on 24th July 2023.
Shocking and thrilling audiences and offending (some) critics on its original release,...
- 6/23/2023
- by Peter 'Witchfinder' Hopkins
- Horror Asylum
Netflix has released a clip of Lupin Part 3 which features Omar Sy’s Assane Diop back in Paris where danger awaits. The streamer released the clip during the French heist thriller’s panel at the Tudum fan event Saturday in São Paulo, Brazil.
In Lupin, Sy stars as professional thief Assane Diop, the only son of an immigrant from Senegal who had come to France to seek a better life for his child. Assane’s father is framed for the theft of an expensive diamond necklace by his employer, the wealthy and powerful Hubert Pellegrini, and hangs himself in his prison cell out of shame, leaving the teenage Assane an orphan.
Twenty-five years later, inspired by a book about gentleman thief Arsène Lupin his father had given him on his birthday, Assane sets out to get revenge on the Pellegrini family, using his charisma and mastery of thievery, subterfuge, and...
In Lupin, Sy stars as professional thief Assane Diop, the only son of an immigrant from Senegal who had come to France to seek a better life for his child. Assane’s father is framed for the theft of an expensive diamond necklace by his employer, the wealthy and powerful Hubert Pellegrini, and hangs himself in his prison cell out of shame, leaving the teenage Assane an orphan.
Twenty-five years later, inspired by a book about gentleman thief Arsène Lupin his father had given him on his birthday, Assane sets out to get revenge on the Pellegrini family, using his charisma and mastery of thievery, subterfuge, and...
- 6/17/2023
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Canada’s Fantasia International Film Festival has announced the opening film of its 27th edition: Pascal Plante’s “Red Rooms,” about a high-profile case of a serial killer and the woman (Juliette Gariépy) obsessed with him.
“It’s a film of enormous emotional force, unbelievably controlled and smart, with a staggering performance from Gariépy. Pascal is one of the greatest talents of his generation in Quebec cinema and among the strongest filmmakers in the country right now,” says festival’s artistic director Mitch Davis.
“In a sense, it’s an unconventionally grim note to open a festival on. It’s a profoundly disturbing film. But I know the audience is going to be left completely breathless by it.”
“As a Montrealer, I have been a regular festival goer of Fantasia for years now, but it’s the first time one of my features will be screened in their lineup. I...
“It’s a film of enormous emotional force, unbelievably controlled and smart, with a staggering performance from Gariépy. Pascal is one of the greatest talents of his generation in Quebec cinema and among the strongest filmmakers in the country right now,” says festival’s artistic director Mitch Davis.
“In a sense, it’s an unconventionally grim note to open a festival on. It’s a profoundly disturbing film. But I know the audience is going to be left completely breathless by it.”
“As a Montrealer, I have been a regular festival goer of Fantasia for years now, but it’s the first time one of my features will be screened in their lineup. I...
- 6/8/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
The 27th edition of the Fantasia International Film Festival is set to run from from July 20th through August 9th at the Concordia Hall Cinema in Montreal, with additional screens at the Cinémathèque québécoise and Cinéma du Musée – and today the festival announced the first wave of titles that will be screening there this year! The festival runners promise this edition of the show will deliver “a whiplashing program of screenings, workshops, and launch events”, with a spotlight on South Korean cinema, a Canadian trailblazer Award being presented to Larry Kent, and World Premiere screenings of new films from the likes of Larry Fessenden, Xavier Gens, Jenn Wexler, The Adams Family, and Victor Ginzburg. They’ll also be hosting the International Premieres of Tsutomu Hanabusa’s blockbusters Tokyo Revengers 2 – Part 1 & 2.
2023 marks 60 years of diplomatic relations between Canada and the Republic of Korea, so Fantasia is teaming up with the Korean...
2023 marks 60 years of diplomatic relations between Canada and the Republic of Korea, so Fantasia is teaming up with the Korean...
- 5/11/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Sometimes, this job can give you the honor and privilege of drawing attention to all kinds of underseen gems from the wide breadth of cinema that the world has to offer. Other times, you end up writing about a newly-announced schlock-fest of a movie described as, essentially, "John Wick" meets "A Christmas Carol." In either case, it's an undeniable win-win for me, your local /Film writer who absolutely lives for chaos.
From the production company that previously brought you genre hits like "The Raid," "Mandy," and "Anna and the Apocalypse" comes "The Guns of Christmas Past," the latest film directed by French filmmaker Xavier Gens and written by Andrew Hilton. As you hopefully put together by now, the incredibly serious prestige picture and likely Oscar-bait film follows the recent trend of mashing up classic stories and IPs that are now up for grabs for reinterpretation as part of the public domain,...
From the production company that previously brought you genre hits like "The Raid," "Mandy," and "Anna and the Apocalypse" comes "The Guns of Christmas Past," the latest film directed by French filmmaker Xavier Gens and written by Andrew Hilton. As you hopefully put together by now, the incredibly serious prestige picture and likely Oscar-bait film follows the recent trend of mashing up classic stories and IPs that are now up for grabs for reinterpretation as part of the public domain,...
- 5/4/2023
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
Ray Donovan star Liev Schreiber is getting locked and loaded for a holiday-themed action movie from Gangs of London director Xavier Gens called The Guns of Christmas Past. Deadline says Schreiber is negotiating for the lead role in Gens’s genre mash-up, described as “A Christmas Carol meets John Wick.”
The story revolves around Ebb, a former hitman for the mob who emerges from the shadows when his best friend gets killed. Ebb plans to infiltrate the enemy’s compound to inflict revenge, but the past, present, and future ghosts haunt him throughout the night to ruin his plans. Gens directs from a script by Andrew Hilton, with Navid McIlhargey and Erik Olsen producing.
I’m sorry, what? This movie sounds wacky! It’s like something Frank Cross from Scrooged would air on Ibc Television on Christmas Eve. After 2022’s Violent Night, starring David Habour, outlandish Christmas movies are the new holiday hotness.
The story revolves around Ebb, a former hitman for the mob who emerges from the shadows when his best friend gets killed. Ebb plans to infiltrate the enemy’s compound to inflict revenge, but the past, present, and future ghosts haunt him throughout the night to ruin his plans. Gens directs from a script by Andrew Hilton, with Navid McIlhargey and Erik Olsen producing.
I’m sorry, what? This movie sounds wacky! It’s like something Frank Cross from Scrooged would air on Ibc Television on Christmas Eve. After 2022’s Violent Night, starring David Habour, outlandish Christmas movies are the new holiday hotness.
- 5/4/2023
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Fans of last year’s Violent Night will be happy to hear that another Christmas-themed action-thriller is in the works, this one titled The Guns of Christmas Past.
Deadline reports that Liev Schrieber (Ray Donovan) is in talks to star in the holiday action movie, which is being directed by French filmmaker Xavier Gens.
The film is described as “A Christmas Carol meets John Wick”!
In The Guns of Christmas Past, “Ebb is a former hitman for the mob, brought out from hiding when his former best friend and partner is killed. Ebb penetrates the compound of his enemy to exact revenge but the ghosts of past, present and future all arrive to thwart his plans.”
Andrew Hilton wrote the screenplay.
XYZ will be shopping the project at the upcoming Cannes market.
“I am excited to work with Liev and XYZ Films and bring a modern design style to this unique and original script.
Deadline reports that Liev Schrieber (Ray Donovan) is in talks to star in the holiday action movie, which is being directed by French filmmaker Xavier Gens.
The film is described as “A Christmas Carol meets John Wick”!
In The Guns of Christmas Past, “Ebb is a former hitman for the mob, brought out from hiding when his former best friend and partner is killed. Ebb penetrates the compound of his enemy to exact revenge but the ghosts of past, present and future all arrive to thwart his plans.”
Andrew Hilton wrote the screenplay.
XYZ will be shopping the project at the upcoming Cannes market.
“I am excited to work with Liev and XYZ Films and bring a modern design style to this unique and original script.
- 5/4/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Exclusive: Liev Schrieber (Ray Donovan) is in negotiations for the lead role in action-thriller The Guns Of Christmas Past, which will be directed by Xavier Gens (Gangs Of London).
In the genre mash-up, described to us as “A Christmas Carol meets John Wick“, Ebb is a former hitman for the mob, brought out from hiding when his former best friend and partner is killed. Ebb penetrates the compound of his enemy to exact revenge but the ghosts of past, present and future all arrive to thwart his plans.
XYZ will be shopping the project at the upcoming Cannes market. Ray Donovan, Spotlight and X-Men Origins star Schreiber will also be in the Cannes festival lineup with Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City.
Andrew Hilton’s script is being produced by Navid McIlhargey and Erik Olsen, with XYZ Films also producing and financing with investment funding coming from Ipr.Vc. The film is...
In the genre mash-up, described to us as “A Christmas Carol meets John Wick“, Ebb is a former hitman for the mob, brought out from hiding when his former best friend and partner is killed. Ebb penetrates the compound of his enemy to exact revenge but the ghosts of past, present and future all arrive to thwart his plans.
XYZ will be shopping the project at the upcoming Cannes market. Ray Donovan, Spotlight and X-Men Origins star Schreiber will also be in the Cannes festival lineup with Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City.
Andrew Hilton’s script is being produced by Navid McIlhargey and Erik Olsen, with XYZ Films also producing and financing with investment funding coming from Ipr.Vc. The film is...
- 5/4/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
French filmmaker Xavier Gens is back with a shark attack movie for Netflix, and Variety shares the first look today along with some early information.
The film doesn’t yet have a title, but we do know it’s set in Paris. It’s said to be an “ambitious elevated genre film,” and Variety notes that it’ll launch on Netflix in 2024.
Variety details, “Set in the Summer of 2024, the film unfolds in Paris which is hosting the World Triathlon Championships on the Seine for the first time. Sophia, a brilliant scientist, learns from Mika, a young environmental activist, that a large shark is swimming deep in the river.
“To avoid a bloodbath at the heart of the city, they have no choice but to join forces with Adil, the Seine river police commander.”
Bérénice Bejo (The Artist) and Nassim Lyes (Overdose) star.
The post First Look at Netflix’s...
The film doesn’t yet have a title, but we do know it’s set in Paris. It’s said to be an “ambitious elevated genre film,” and Variety notes that it’ll launch on Netflix in 2024.
Variety details, “Set in the Summer of 2024, the film unfolds in Paris which is hosting the World Triathlon Championships on the Seine for the first time. Sophia, a brilliant scientist, learns from Mika, a young environmental activist, that a large shark is swimming deep in the river.
“To avoid a bloodbath at the heart of the city, they have no choice but to join forces with Adil, the Seine river police commander.”
Bérénice Bejo (The Artist) and Nassim Lyes (Overdose) star.
The post First Look at Netflix’s...
- 4/28/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Assane Diop will continue his adventures in the fall, with the release of Lupin Part 3 now slated for Friday, October 5.
Netflix announced the French mystery series Lupin, starring Omar Sy as the lead character Assane Diop, will return for a third installment consisting of seven 45-minute episodes.
More from TVLineNational Treasure: Edge of History Cancelled After 1 Season at Disney+The Mandalorian Recap: Did Any of Those Fan Theories Pan Out? -- Grade the Finale and All of Season 3The Mandalorian Recap: 'Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes...'
“Now in hiding, Assane must learn...
Netflix announced the French mystery series Lupin, starring Omar Sy as the lead character Assane Diop, will return for a third installment consisting of seven 45-minute episodes.
More from TVLineNational Treasure: Edge of History Cancelled After 1 Season at Disney+The Mandalorian Recap: Did Any of Those Fan Theories Pan Out? -- Grade the Finale and All of Season 3The Mandalorian Recap: 'Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes...'
“Now in hiding, Assane must learn...
- 4/20/2023
- by Erianne Lewis
- TVLine.com
Netflix has set October 5 for the launch of Part 3 of Lupin, its hit French heist series starring Omar Sy.
Sy stars as professional thief Assane Diop, the only son of an immigrant from Senegal who had come to France to seek a better life for his child. Assane’s father is framed for the theft of an expensive diamond necklace by his employer, the wealthy and powerful Hubert Pellegrini, and hangs himself in his prison cell out of shame, leaving the teenage Assane an orphan.
Twenty-five years later, inspired by a book about gentleman thief Arsène Lupin his father had given him on his birthday, Assane sets out to get revenge on the Pellegrini family, using his charisma and mastery of thievery, subterfuge, and disguise to expose Hubert’s crimes.
In Part 3, now in hiding, Assane must learn to live far from his wife and son. With the suffering they endure because of him,...
Sy stars as professional thief Assane Diop, the only son of an immigrant from Senegal who had come to France to seek a better life for his child. Assane’s father is framed for the theft of an expensive diamond necklace by his employer, the wealthy and powerful Hubert Pellegrini, and hangs himself in his prison cell out of shame, leaving the teenage Assane an orphan.
Twenty-five years later, inspired by a book about gentleman thief Arsène Lupin his father had given him on his birthday, Assane sets out to get revenge on the Pellegrini family, using his charisma and mastery of thievery, subterfuge, and disguise to expose Hubert’s crimes.
In Part 3, now in hiding, Assane must learn to live far from his wife and son. With the suffering they endure because of him,...
- 4/20/2023
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
One of the bleakest movies I’ve ever seen is The Divide, a post-apocalyptic film from 2012.
The Divide is an English language film directed by Xavier Gens, an important figure in the New French Extremety movement, which was a loosely connected group of films and filmmakers who pushed not only the boundaries of violent cinema but the buttons of some cultural critics.
It was an era defined by figures and movies like Alexandre Aja&rs...
The Divide is an English language film directed by Xavier Gens, an important figure in the New French Extremety movement, which was a loosely connected group of films and filmmakers who pushed not only the boundaries of violent cinema but the buttons of some cultural critics.
It was an era defined by figures and movies like Alexandre Aja&rs...
- 4/5/2023
- QuietEarth.us
Aside from its English-language slate, Studiocanal is continuing to bank on upscale French fare. The company will be launching sales on four new French movies, “All Your Faces,” “Toni,” “Strangers by Night” and “A Chance to Win,” during the Rendez-Vous market that French film and TV promotion org Unifrance is hosting this week in Paris.
“All Your Faces,” Jeanne Herry’s follow up to “Pupille,” stars Gilles Lellouche (“The Stronghold”), Adele Exarchopoulos (“Blue Is the Warmest Color”) and Leila Bekhti (“La Source”). The star-studded drama, produced by two of France’s best-known producers, Chi-Fou-Mi and Tresor Films, revolves around perpetrators and victims of offenses who confront each other under a restorative justice plan.
“Toni,” meanwhile, is directed Nathan Ambrosioni and is headlined by “Call My Agent!” star Camille Cottin. Also produced by Chi-Fou-Mi, “Toni” stars Cottin as a single mother raising her five children and juggling a full-time job. As...
“All Your Faces,” Jeanne Herry’s follow up to “Pupille,” stars Gilles Lellouche (“The Stronghold”), Adele Exarchopoulos (“Blue Is the Warmest Color”) and Leila Bekhti (“La Source”). The star-studded drama, produced by two of France’s best-known producers, Chi-Fou-Mi and Tresor Films, revolves around perpetrators and victims of offenses who confront each other under a restorative justice plan.
“Toni,” meanwhile, is directed Nathan Ambrosioni and is headlined by “Call My Agent!” star Camille Cottin. Also produced by Chi-Fou-Mi, “Toni” stars Cottin as a single mother raising her five children and juggling a full-time job. As...
- 1/9/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Running Jan. 10-17, Unifrance’s Rendez-Vous in Paris – an export focused market that unites buyers, producers, talent and press from film and television – will fête its 25th edition with a return to pre-pandemic (in-person) attendance numbers, and a once-more ebullient social calendar, rife with the cocktails, awards ceremonies and evening events that fell by the wayside over the past few vintages.
“We’ll have a renewed effervescence,” says Unifrance director of cinema, Gilles Renouard, of this year’s event. “People are finding each other again, [and] our goal was to get back toward a normal edition with our European distributors.”
Indeed, with 87 films brought to market and more than 400 international film distributors present, such figures mark highs unseen since 2019 – with those numbers bolstered by 100 TV buyers, who have come onboard once Unifrance merged with TV France International in 2021, thus creating a one-stop-shop for film and TV promotion.
“Our objective is not to increase each year,...
“We’ll have a renewed effervescence,” says Unifrance director of cinema, Gilles Renouard, of this year’s event. “People are finding each other again, [and] our goal was to get back toward a normal edition with our European distributors.”
Indeed, with 87 films brought to market and more than 400 international film distributors present, such figures mark highs unseen since 2019 – with those numbers bolstered by 100 TV buyers, who have come onboard once Unifrance merged with TV France International in 2021, thus creating a one-stop-shop for film and TV promotion.
“Our objective is not to increase each year,...
- 1/9/2023
- by Ben Croll
- Variety Film + TV
Valerie Garcia, a well-respected film executive who co-founded Mars Films in France, has launched a new Paris-based production boutique, Gabman. The banner’s strong first slate includes projects with Paramount+, Federation Entertainment and Snd Fictions.
While at Mars Films, Garcia was involved in the production and distribution of some of France’s biggest hits, including Maiwenn’s “Polisse” and “Two is a Family” with Omar Sy. The company, which was taken over by Vivendi in 2021, also handled the French distribution of major indie films such as the Oscar-winning “Twelve Years a Slave” and “Moonlight.”
At Gabman, Garcia will be developing and producing projects ranging from films to documentaries, live events and series, working closely with filmmakers and artists.
Garcia is working alongside Tristan Du Laz, another top film executive who previously ran TF1 Studio before launching Original Factory, an innovative co-production and distribution company dedicated to delivering movies to platforms.
While at Mars Films, Garcia was involved in the production and distribution of some of France’s biggest hits, including Maiwenn’s “Polisse” and “Two is a Family” with Omar Sy. The company, which was taken over by Vivendi in 2021, also handled the French distribution of major indie films such as the Oscar-winning “Twelve Years a Slave” and “Moonlight.”
At Gabman, Garcia will be developing and producing projects ranging from films to documentaries, live events and series, working closely with filmmakers and artists.
Garcia is working alongside Tristan Du Laz, another top film executive who previously ran TF1 Studio before launching Original Factory, an innovative co-production and distribution company dedicated to delivering movies to platforms.
- 11/2/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Troy Kotsur, the Oscar-winning actor of “Coda,” has joined Mounia Meddour’s uplifting drama “Houria” ahead of its world premiere at the Rome Film Festival.
Meddour’s follow-up to her Cesar-winning film “Papicha” tells the story of Houria, a gifted dancer with dreams of joining the Algerian National Ballet. To make ends meet, she bets in clandestine fights overnight. However after winning a final, Houria is violently assaulted by a man determined to get his money back. When she wakes up in a hospital, she no longer is able to speak and will certainly never dance again. Refusing to abandon her dream, she throws herself, heart and soul, into her physical recovery and meets at a rehab center other women damaged by life. Houria resolves to help them transcend their wounded bodies and stand tall by teaching them how to dance through a choreography inspired by sign language.
“It is...
Meddour’s follow-up to her Cesar-winning film “Papicha” tells the story of Houria, a gifted dancer with dreams of joining the Algerian National Ballet. To make ends meet, she bets in clandestine fights overnight. However after winning a final, Houria is violently assaulted by a man determined to get his money back. When she wakes up in a hospital, she no longer is able to speak and will certainly never dance again. Refusing to abandon her dream, she throws herself, heart and soul, into her physical recovery and meets at a rehab center other women damaged by life. Houria resolves to help them transcend their wounded bodies and stand tall by teaching them how to dance through a choreography inspired by sign language.
“It is...
- 10/7/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Lina El Arabi, the emerging French actor of the Cesar-nominated “A Wedding,” is set to headline “The Malediction” (“Leana”), a horror-thriller which will mark the feature debut of Abel Danan.
The film is being produced by Leo Maidenberg, whose credits include “Sisters in Arms” and “The Bunker Game.” Xavier Gens, the producer of Mounia Meddour’s Cesar-winning film “Papicha,” is co-producing. Gens is also a director specialised in genre films with a track record including “Frontiere (s).” El Arabi was featured as a rising star at Toronto in 2017.
Penned by Danan and Emma Lacoste, “The Malediction” takes place today, in a world that is slowly recovering from a mysterious epidemic. The movie is set in Paris and follows Yara, a 25 year-old young Moroccan woman who came to study in Paris and has not left her home for several months, as she is agoraphobic since childhood because of terrible family events.
The film is being produced by Leo Maidenberg, whose credits include “Sisters in Arms” and “The Bunker Game.” Xavier Gens, the producer of Mounia Meddour’s Cesar-winning film “Papicha,” is co-producing. Gens is also a director specialised in genre films with a track record including “Frontiere (s).” El Arabi was featured as a rising star at Toronto in 2017.
Penned by Danan and Emma Lacoste, “The Malediction” takes place today, in a world that is slowly recovering from a mysterious epidemic. The movie is set in Paris and follows Yara, a 25 year-old young Moroccan woman who came to study in Paris and has not left her home for several months, as she is agoraphobic since childhood because of terrible family events.
- 7/12/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Radar Films, the Mediawan-owned production banner, is reteaming with “The Deep House” filmmakers Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo on “North Sentinel.” The well-established company, which is headed by Clement Miserez and Matthieu Warter, is developing several other English-language projects including a genre twist on “The Phantom of the Opera” directed by Xavier Gens (“The Divide”).
Rolling off “The Deep House,” an underwater horror film that was just acquired by Blumhouse and Epix, Maury and Bustillo will next direct “North Sentinel.” Pic is inspired by the true story of an explorer who set off to visit a dangerous island located deep in the Indian Ocean, where a tribe of indigenous people live, and was killed. Visiting the island or going anywhere near it has been banned by the Indian government. “North Sentinel” will revolve around a young American woman who embarks on a journey to the island in order find her missing brother.
Rolling off “The Deep House,” an underwater horror film that was just acquired by Blumhouse and Epix, Maury and Bustillo will next direct “North Sentinel.” Pic is inspired by the true story of an explorer who set off to visit a dangerous island located deep in the Indian Ocean, where a tribe of indigenous people live, and was killed. Visiting the island or going anywhere near it has been banned by the Indian government. “North Sentinel” will revolve around a young American woman who embarks on a journey to the island in order find her missing brother.
- 7/11/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Mounia Meddour, the director of the Cesar-winning film “Papicha” that also played to acclaim at Cannes’ Un Certain Regard in 2019, will next direct “Houria,” an Algeria-set drama headlined by “Papicha” star Lyna Khoudri.
Meddour, who is on the jury of this year’s Un Certain Regard, wrote the original screenplay for “Houria.”
The film is set in contemporary Algeria and will star Khoudri (“The French Dispatch”) as a young woman who is passionate about ballet dancing and experiences a trauma. Following this personal tragedy, she meets other women who have experienced similar situations and finds a creative way to pursue her passion. Besides Khoudri, who has become one of France’s hottest actors, “Houria” will star Amira Hilda Douaouda, another “Papicha” actor, as well as Rachida Brakni (“Baron Noir’).
“Like ‘Papicha,’ ‘Houria’ will tell the story of strong-willed women on their paths to resilience and emancipation which are themes that drive me,...
Meddour, who is on the jury of this year’s Un Certain Regard, wrote the original screenplay for “Houria.”
The film is set in contemporary Algeria and will star Khoudri (“The French Dispatch”) as a young woman who is passionate about ballet dancing and experiences a trauma. Following this personal tragedy, she meets other women who have experienced similar situations and finds a creative way to pursue her passion. Besides Khoudri, who has become one of France’s hottest actors, “Houria” will star Amira Hilda Douaouda, another “Papicha” actor, as well as Rachida Brakni (“Baron Noir’).
“Like ‘Papicha,’ ‘Houria’ will tell the story of strong-willed women on their paths to resilience and emancipation which are themes that drive me,...
- 7/7/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Corin Hardy (“The Nun”) will be the lead director for the second season of hit Sky and AMC series “Gangs of London.”
Hardy, who previously directed four episodes for season one, will also serve as executive producer, and will direct four episodes of season 2. Marcela Said and Nima Nourizadeh have also signed on to direct two episodes each.
Season 2 begins rolling in late spring.
“Gangs of London” was the biggest Sky original drama launch on Sky Atlantic of the past five years. In the U.S., it debuted on AMC Plus, helping to launch the new streaming platform, becoming one of its most watched series.
Internationally, “Gangs of London” launched successfully across Europe, Latin America, Australia, Japan and most recently in China.
The BAFTA-nominated series is produced by Pulse Films in association with Sister, for Sky Studios and AMC. Series creator Gareth Evans and creative partner Matt Flannery return as...
Hardy, who previously directed four episodes for season one, will also serve as executive producer, and will direct four episodes of season 2. Marcela Said and Nima Nourizadeh have also signed on to direct two episodes each.
Season 2 begins rolling in late spring.
“Gangs of London” was the biggest Sky original drama launch on Sky Atlantic of the past five years. In the U.S., it debuted on AMC Plus, helping to launch the new streaming platform, becoming one of its most watched series.
Internationally, “Gangs of London” launched successfully across Europe, Latin America, Australia, Japan and most recently in China.
The BAFTA-nominated series is produced by Pulse Films in association with Sister, for Sky Studios and AMC. Series creator Gareth Evans and creative partner Matt Flannery return as...
- 5/6/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
After he had acted in many short features and projects such as Guillaume Tauveron’s “Beyond the Blood”, actor Hiroei Ishihara become increasingly fascinated with European culture, in particular movies which he considered more creative than those from his home country. Inspired by the tradition of the French Grand Guignol theater, a place which had a significant influence on horror literature and horror in the visual arts, he decided to become a producer in a project which would be titled “Tokyo Grand Guignol”, an episodic horror movie consisting of four episodes directed by French directors, which would take place in Tokyo. The production, with additional support by filmmakers such as Xavier Gens”), would show not only the variety within the horror genre, but also the multiple facets of Tokyo as a place full of excitement, legends and mysteries.
In the first episode, we meet a young salaryman...
In the first episode, we meet a young salaryman...
- 12/1/2020
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Marvel Studios has no shortage of directors who would gladly work for them — and vice versa, as there’s no shortage of directors who would quickly turn them down. Directing a Marvel movie might offer a great boost for many filmmakers, but Hitman director Xavier Gens doesn’t want to be one of them. The French director behind […]
The post ‘Hitman’ Filmmaker Xavier Gens Explains Why He Turned Down a Marvel Movie appeared first on /Film.
The post ‘Hitman’ Filmmaker Xavier Gens Explains Why He Turned Down a Marvel Movie appeared first on /Film.
- 11/19/2020
- by Hoai-Tran Bui
- Slash Film
Update: After publication, Xavier Gens spoke to us further about his comments to clarify his feelings.
“I was in discussion with différents studios,” the filmmaker said. “But now, I understand that the previews of the digital effects and action scenes are done by VFX companies like the Third floor in London, and that I would be there to take care of only the direction of the actors.”
He continued, “As director living in Europe, we are in charge of the entire process of the film.
Continue reading ‘Hitman’ Filmmaker Xavier Gens Has Creative Control Concerns With Marvel After Discussing A Project With The Studio [Updated] at The Playlist.
“I was in discussion with différents studios,” the filmmaker said. “But now, I understand that the previews of the digital effects and action scenes are done by VFX companies like the Third floor in London, and that I would be there to take care of only the direction of the actors.”
He continued, “As director living in Europe, we are in charge of the entire process of the film.
Continue reading ‘Hitman’ Filmmaker Xavier Gens Has Creative Control Concerns With Marvel After Discussing A Project With The Studio [Updated] at The Playlist.
- 11/18/2020
- by Charles Barfield
- The Playlist
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