Studiocanal Bows Sales on Gilles Lellouche’s Epic ‘Beating Hearts’ and Marjane Satrapi’s ‘Dear Paris’ Starring Ben Aldridge (EXCLUSIVE)

Ben Aldridge (“Knock at the Cabin”) and Martina Garcia (“The Hidden Face”) have joined the cast of “Dear Paris,” Marjane Satrapi’s (“Persepolis”) ensemble drama which is one Studiocanal’s highlights at this week’s Unifrance Rendez-Vous showcase, along with Gilles Lellouche’s sprawling romance thriller “Beating Hearts.”

“Dear Paris” (“Paris Paradis”), produced by Vito Films, is a dark comedy set in the French capital where a flurry of charming characters confront death only to embrace life once again. The film also stars Monica Bellucci as a narcissistic Italian opera singer and Rossy De Palma as an eccentric elderly Colombian woman, as well as Eduardo Noriega, André Dussollier, Alex Lutz, Roschdy Zem and singer-turned-actor Gwendal Marimoutou (“Sam”).

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The biggest title on Studiocanal’s roster is “Beating Hearts” (“L’amour ouf”), the highly anticipated epic love story starring François Civil, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Mallory Wanecque and Malik Frikah. The unconventional movie, now in post production, features a blend of visual and sound spectacle, including lushly lensed musical interludes. Produced by Hugo Selignac’s Chi-Fou-Mi and Alain Attal’s Trésor Films, the movie has been described by Studiocanal as a modern-day “Romeo and Juliet” story tackling love, revenge and redemption. It’s one of the most ambitious French movies ever boarded by Studiocanal.

“Raised in a troublesome neighbourhood, local rebellious teenager Clotaire falls for his schoolmate Jackie, charmed by her fearless spirit and sharp wit. As powerful first love blossoms between the two, rampant gang violence entices him into a much darker path and ultimately destroys all they have built when he is charged with a crime he didn’t commit,” Studiocanal’s synopsis for “Beating Hearts” reads. “After many years apart, now leading profoundly different lives, the star-crossed lovers discover that every path they’ve taken leads them back together.”

While at the Rendez-Vous showcase this week, Studiocanal will also be introducing Hervé Mimran’s “The Scammers,” a buddy comedy about two retired friends discover a talent for scamming as the death of a lottery winner wreaks havoc within a once peaceful community.

The other movies on Studiocanal’s slate include Pablo Agüero’s “Saint-Ex,” which recounts a pivotal period in the life of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the aviator and visionary writer of “The Little Prince.” The adventure biopic stars Louis Garrel, Diane Kruger and Vincent Cassel.

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