France’s Wrong Films, Behind Sundance Jury Prize Winner ‘Animalia,’ Preps Beirut-Set Thriller ‘’Thaoura’ (EXCLUSIVE)
variety.comJohn Hopewell Chief International Correspondent France’s Wrong Films, behind Sofia Alaoui’s Sundance Jury Prize winner “Animalia,” a sci-fi drama, is prepping another Arabic-language genre movie, David Arslanian’s feature debut “Thaoura,” which is set in Lebanon’s 2019 public protests against its worst economic crisis since 1850. “Thaoura” will be introduced by Wrong Films’ Mathilde Warisse to potential partners at the Locarno Film Festival’s Match Me!, which runs Aug.
9-11 at the Swiss film festival. Arslanian is currently writing the screenplay with Thomas Desenne, a scribe on Arte series “Le Somnambuliste,” who co-wrote Arslanian’s latest short, “Underdog” (“Charbon”), showcased at Unifrance’s MyFrenchFilmFestival in January with Arslanian and Ed Waguette.
Desenne focused on the short’s narrative drive. Wrong Films also produced “Bolero,” by France’s Nans Laborde-Jourdáa, which walked off with a Queer Palm, and Morad Mostafa’s “I Promise You Paradise,” which scooped a Cannes Festival Nikon Discovery Prize.
Aloui was born to a French mother and a Moroccan father and brought up for some years in China. Mostafa, 35, an Egyptian filmmaker, is currently developing his debut feature film, “Aisha Can’t Fly Away Anymore,” at the Cannes Festival’s Cinéfondation” Residency in Paris.
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