Rhea Drucker, who just won a Cesar Award for Best Actress for her role in Case 137, has joined the voice cast for Blaze, an animated film based on the popular Grenagh comic book collection.
The film, directed by Dimitri Planchon and Jean-Paul Guigues, was sold internationally by Brussels-based company Best Friend Forever, ahead of its presentation on animation market Cartoon Movies.
“Blaze”, which is currently in post-production, is the work of Alexandre Gavras of KG Productions, the French production company that worked on director Xavier Legrand’s “The Successor” and Park Chan-wook’s “No Other Choice.” The film has already been selected as a Jokers film and is scheduled for release in France.
“Blaze” revolves around the Sauvage family. Mother Carol knows that her employees hate her and is determined to win them over at any cost. Father Jack has never worked a day in his life and does not feel respected. “Blaise, a 16-year-old introvert, always follows everyone and agrees to everything. When he meets a girl named Josephine, he plans to ruin everything,” the synopsis reads. The voice cast includes Jacques Gamblin, Timeo, and Nina Blanc-Francard.
Planchon is the author of the comic “Blaise”, which was published in the French magazine “L’Écho des Savanes” and subsequently published by Glénat. “Blaze” was produced as a 30-episode animated series in 2016 by director Gieg. It aired on Arte and was produced by KG Productions.
Gieg also directed the Silex and the City series and co-directed a feature-length spin-off that was shown at Cannes and Annecy.
“Blaze is the epitome of a silly plot applied to a family comedy,” said Best Friends Forever co-founders Martin Gondre and Charles Bing, who compared the production to a mixture of “Dahlias,” “Freaks and Geeks” and “The French Kissers.” “You’ll laugh and cringe with feverish nostalgia for your teenage years, find solace in not being French, and finally look at your family with relief,” they added.
“Best Friend Forever” opened the Berlin Festival on a strong note with “Nina Rosa,” directed by Geneviève Drudt de Serre, which won the Silver Bear for Best Original Screenplay. The company also represents the Japanese animated film “Frozen Time” and Brazil’s “Papaya,” both of which premiered at the Generation section in Berlin. Alongside Patrick Chiha’s “A Russian Winter” performed at Panorama.
