‘Full Time’ Director Eric Gravel Readies Social Thriller, ‘Before the Storm,’ Starring Mélanie Thierry, Ludivine Sagnier and Dali Benssalah (EXCLUSIVE)
French-Canadian director Éric Gravel, whose latest film “Full Time” won prizes at Venice and the Cesar Awards, is revving up his next feature, “Before the Storm,” a social thriller powered by a French cast including Mélanie Thierry (“Mariana’s Room”), Ludivine Sagnier (“Lupin”) and Dali Benssalah (“Athena”).
“Before the Storm” has been boarded by Pamela Leu’s Brussels-based Be For Films and is produced by Raphaëlle Delauche and Nicolas Sanfaute at Novoprod Cinéma. It will start filming on March 30 in France. The ensemble is completed by Cédric Kahn, Laetitia Dosch, Lyes Salem and Sara Giraudeau.
Gravel’s most ambitious project to date, “Before the Storm” unfolds over the course of a single fraught day, as a private nurse, roofer, social worker, real estate agent, cleaning lady and a man on probation scramble through crises, until a looming storm violently collides their paths, exposing the invisible bonds that tie them together.
Gravel broke out with “Full Time,” his propulsive sophomore feature which starred Laure Calamy (“Call My Agent!”) as a divorced mother of two working as a head maid at a high-end hotel in Paris, and desperately trying to make ends meet while battling train strikes. The film premiered in the Horizons section at Venice where it clinched best director and best actress prizes, before going on to win a pair of César Awards.
“Before the Storm” joins Be For Films’ prestige slate which also includes Ilker Çatak’s Golden Bear winner “Yellow Letters,” as well as “The Loneliest Man in Town” by Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel, and “Enjoy Your Stay” by Dominik Locher.
“We are delighted to collaborate once again alongside Eric Gravel on his compelling new film,” said producers at Novoprod Cinéma. “‘Before the Storm’ is a social thriller in the vein of ‘Full Time,’ this time conceived as an ensemble film with an outstanding cast.”
The film is co-produced by France 2 Cinéma, Coup de Coeur Productions, LN Films, Les Films Velvet, Paprika Films and Panache Productions, with support from CNC (development fund), Canal+, France Télévisions, Cine+ OCS, as well as the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and Grand Est regions. Ad Vitam will handle distribution in France.
Founded in 2018, Novoprod Cinéma has quickly carved out a niche for ambitious, internationally minded arthouse fare, with recent titles including Anna Cazenave Cambet’s “Love Me Tender,” which premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes, and Sophie Beaulieu’s “The Doll,” which bowed at the Francophone Film Festival in Angoulême and the Alpe d’Huez Comedy Festival ahead of its April 22 release. The company has also backed titles such as Frédéric Farucci’s “The Mohican,” which premiered in Venice’s Orizzonti strand, and Ali Asgari’s “Until Tomorrow,” which debuted in Berlin’s Panorama section.
The hot project is financially backed by the National Film Board (CNC), France 2 Cinema, Canal+, France Televisions, Cine+ OCS, the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and Grand Est regions; as well as Coup de Coeur Production, LN Production, Les Films Velvet, Paprika Films and Panache Productions.
“Before the Storm” has been boarded by Pamela Leu’s Brussels-based Be For Films and is produced by Raphaëlle Delauche and Nicolas Sanfaute at Novoprod Cinéma. It will start filming on March 30 in France. The ensemble is completed by Cédric Kahn, Laetitia Dosch, Lyes Salem and Sara Giraudeau.
Gravel’s most ambitious project to date, “Before the Storm” unfolds over the course of a single fraught day, as a private nurse, roofer, social worker, real estate agent, cleaning lady and a man on probation scramble through crises, until a looming storm violently collides their paths, exposing the invisible bonds that tie them together.
Gravel broke out with “Full Time,” his propulsive sophomore feature which starred Laure Calamy (“Call My Agent!”) as a divorced mother of two working as a head maid at a high-end hotel in Paris, and desperately trying to make ends meet while battling train strikes. The film premiered in the Horizons section at Venice where it clinched best director and best actress prizes, before going on to win a pair of César Awards.
“Before the Storm” joins Be For Films’ prestige slate which also includes Ilker Çatak’s Golden Bear winner “Yellow Letters,” as well as “The Loneliest Man in Town” by Tizza Covi and Rainer Frimmel, and “Enjoy Your Stay” by Dominik Locher.
“We are delighted to collaborate once again alongside Eric Gravel on his compelling new film,” said producers at Novoprod Cinéma. “‘Before the Storm’ is a social thriller in the vein of ‘Full Time,’ this time conceived as an ensemble film with an outstanding cast.”
The film is co-produced by France 2 Cinéma, Coup de Coeur Productions, LN Films, Les Films Velvet, Paprika Films and Panache Productions, with support from CNC (development fund), Canal+, France Télévisions, Cine+ OCS, as well as the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and Grand Est regions. Ad Vitam will handle distribution in France.
Founded in 2018, Novoprod Cinéma has quickly carved out a niche for ambitious, internationally minded arthouse fare, with recent titles including Anna Cazenave Cambet’s “Love Me Tender,” which premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes, and Sophie Beaulieu’s “The Doll,” which bowed at the Francophone Film Festival in Angoulême and the Alpe d’Huez Comedy Festival ahead of its April 22 release. The company has also backed titles such as Frédéric Farucci’s “The Mohican,” which premiered in Venice’s Orizzonti strand, and Ali Asgari’s “Until Tomorrow,” which debuted in Berlin’s Panorama section.
The hot project is financially backed by the National Film Board (CNC), France 2 Cinema, Canal+, France Televisions, Cine+ OCS, the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and Grand Est regions; as well as Coup de Coeur Production, LN Production, Les Films Velvet, Paprika Films and Panache Productions.