Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefsy, whose Banner Film Clinic has released three films at the Venice Film Festival, is teaming up with Banner Gabman, the French producer Valerie Garcia, on the adult drummer series set in Paris fashion.
The eight-part series was created by Amina Abdelwahab and Hend Radwan (“Paranormal”) and co-written by Abdelwahab, Claire Saint-Pierre (“Aspergirl”) and Georges Hazim (“Son of a Son”). Christoph Saber, the Egyptian swiss helmer who oversaw the acclaimed shorts “Discipline” and “Sacrifice,” is on board to direct the “Nadine.”
The project was selected to participate in the Doha Film Institute’s Kumura Mentoring Program and received a grant. Therefore, “Nadines” is supported by the Doha Film Institute and the French National Film Commission (CNC).
The story revolves around 18-year-old self-conscious Nadine, a strict Lebanese family living outside of Paris. However, when she trades the work she works for modeling at her family’s Shawarmashop, she juggles the expectations of her conservative parents, bringing many cultural conflicts, navigating through the chaotic Parisian fashion world.
The show was written in collaboration with Dina Hameze and Omar Reiza (“Beirut Anxiety”). Abdelwahab said the idea for the show was inspired by a true story about how her Egyptian friend studied engineering at a convenience store in Melbourne, Australia, and when she was scouted by Tila Banks. “He just changed his career and is now a Calvin Klein model,” she said.
But that’s not the only source of inspiration. “Nadine’s journey is deeply personal to him. Like her, I struggled with my weight and sense of identity,” she said.
Talking Venice ahead of Venice, Hefsey recalled, “When I first heard the concept of “Nadines,” he recalled that shows like “Ramy” and “Moe” had crossed cultural thresholds by bringing Arab-American stories to viewers around the world. ”
Hefsey added that he was hit, “I rarely saw a breakout like this depiction of Arab diaspora and Arabs living in Europe.” He feels that “Nadines” can “do the same in the French Arab community” and features “characters in a moving, humorous, simultaneously, very modern and relevant way.”
Garcia, who produces the series for Manon Kominasi in Gabman, described the series as “a fresh, inclusive, apocalyptic tale of relevant inconsistencies that transcend generations, cultures and boundaries.”
Currently, the project will play Radwan and Hezfy, who were last collaborating as executive producers on the hit series Paranormal.
Both Garcia and Hefsy have a strong track record. Garcia, who previously co-headed Mars films (“Two Are Family”, “Coda”), one of France’s major distributing shingles, launched Gabman in 2022 and currently funds the English film “A Beautiful Journey,” starring alongside an anonymous federation.
Hefzy, who played a major role in defending the emerging talents of the Mena region, is with Saudi filmmaker Shahad Ameen, Susanna Milgani’s “Cotton Queen” and “Hijra,” the second feature in Giannis Kusim’s horror film “Lokia.”
