Studiocanal has boarded Quentin Reynaud’s timely disaster thriller “The Blaze” ahead of its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival.
The film reteams Reynaud with popular French actor Alex Lutz who headlined the director’s feature debut “Final Set.” Lutz stars alongside revered French actor André Dussolier (“Tell No One”).
“The Blaze” follows Simon and his father Joseph who embark on a race-against-the-clock to escape a wildfire.
The first look image features Simon and Joseph who must leave everything behind to escape their coastal region alongside multiple evacuees who are fighting to survive.
The film was shot in France’s tree-covered southwest region where thousands of hectares were destroyed by wildfires this summer but Raynaud told Variety that the movie wrapped shooting a year ago.
“I grew up in this beautiful region and I know every corner of it, it has a very dense landscape with a strong local culture, its own dialect and folk myths,” said Raynaud, who added that he was inspired to write this film after seeing images of the tragic Camp Fire which destroyed the town of Paradise in California three years ago.
“The idea with ‘Blaze’ is to create an immersive and sensorial experience where we’re feeling a scary and suffocating atmosphere building up,” he continued.
He said “The Blaze” could be described as a survival thriller with genre elements, notably tied to local folk tales. Along with the epic journey, “The Blaze” will also tell the story of a son reconnecting with his father and grieving a tragedy. “There is allegorical aspect to the story as it also tells the rebirth of Joseph,” Raynaud explained.
On top of representing international rights on the film, Studiocanal produced it with Leonard Glowinski, the founder of the banner 22h22. Glowinski last worked with Reynaud on “Final Set,” a sports drama set against the backdrop of the French open with was headlined by Lutz, Kristin Scott Thomas and Ana Girardot.
Studiocanal has already inked a flurry of deals on the movie to Latin America (CDC United Network and Zima jointly), Switzerland (Frenetic Films), Portugal (Cinemundo), Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia (Mediasquad), Israel (United King),
Apollo Films and Studiocanal will co-distribute the film in France during the first trimester of 2023.
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