12/04/2024 - Agathe Riedinger’s feature debut, produced by Silex Films and sold by Pyramide International, will soon be partaking in the race for the Palme d’Or

Agathe Riedinger is taking a sensational first step into feature filmmaking, as she has just been selected for the competition of the 77th Cannes Film Festival (14-25 May) with her feature debut, Wild Diamond. The movie is an extended version of her short film Waiting for Jupiter (which took part in the national competition at Clermont-Ferrand in 2018).

Toplining the cast is Malou Khebizi, who is acting on the big screen for the first time and is flanked by Idir Azougli (who rose to fame in Shéhérazade [+see also:
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film profile], and turned heads in titles such as Marguerite’s Theorem [+see also:
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interview: Anna Novion
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film profile]), Andréa Bescond (nominated for the Lumière Award for Best New Actress in 2019 for Little Tickles [+see also:
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interview: Ladj Ly
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interview: Iris Kaltenbäck
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interview: Lola Quivoron and Julie Ledru
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The story, written by the director herself, revolves around 19-year-old Liane, a bold and radiant young woman who lives with her mother and her little sister in the dusty and sun-drenched town of Fréjus. Obsessed with beauty and the need to be someone, she sees reality television as an opportunity to be loved. Fate finally seems to smile upon her when she attends a casting for Miracle Island.

Produced by Priscilla Bertin and Judith Nora for Silex Films, the movie was co-produced by France 2 Cinéma and Germaine Films. Having been pre-purchased by Canal+ and Ciné+, the feature has also secured support from the CNC’s advance on receipts, the South (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur) region, the Alpes-Maritimes department, and the Cinécap, La Banque Postale Image and SG Image Soficas. The cinematography was handled by Noé Bach (Animalia [+see also:
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interview: Sofia Alaoui
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As a reminder, Silex Films recently produced titles such as This Is My Mother [+see also:
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interview: Zeno Graton
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film profile] by Aurélie Saada (Piazza Grande at Locarno in 2021), and has also got production under way for Phuong Mai Nguyen’s animated flick In Waves.

(Translated from French)