17 jan 2019 mk2 films launches sales on Manele Labidi’s ARAB BLUES and Robert Guédiguian’s GLORIA MUNDI

ARAB BLUES, which is currently in post-production, is Manele Labidi’s first feature, starring Golshifteh Farahani (Paterson, About Elly, Two Friends, and seen recently in French comedy box-office hit Santa & Inc) in the lead role.

Set in contemporary Tunisia after the Arab Spring, the film follows Selma, a psychoanalyst who wrestles with a cast of colorful new clients after returning home to Tunisia to open a practice.

mk2 films will premiere first footage at the Paris Unifrance Rendez-Vous.

For Juliette Schrameck, Managing Director of mk2 films: “ARAB BLUES is a sweet folly, full of vitality and humor… Yet, this is a sophisticated comedy in the way it also offers a fascinating window into modern Tunisia at a crossroads. This is a story of contrasts, contradictions and culture clashes, and at its heart, a tale of an outsider, who, much like her country, is on a quest for her identity.”

Kazak Productions is producing the feature, which is due for delivery in the first half of 2019. Diaphana has acquired rights for the French distribution.

ARAB BLUES is the first of two films to be launched by mk2 films at the Paris Rendez-Vous, with Robert Guédiguian’s GLORIA MUNDI also included in this exciting duo.

This is Robert Guédiguian’s twenty-first feature, and his third time collaborating with mk2 films, following DON’T TELL ME THE BOY WAS MAD (Official Selection, 2015 Cannes Film Festival) and THE HOUSE BY THE SEA (2017 Venice Film Festival Competition). The latter was one of the most successful French art-house films to hit the theaters in 2018, racking in high admissions in Europe, in key territories like Italy (105.758 adm.), Spain (61.288 adm.) and Scandinavia (33.085 adm.).

Reuniting with his regular cast of actors — Ariane Ascaride, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Gérard Meylan, Anaïs Demoustier, Robinson Stévenin, Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet — Robert Guédiguian returns with GLORIA MUNDI to his native land of Marseille. There, a family gathers for the birth of baby Gloria. But despite the joy, they have fallen on hard times. But Gloria’s ambitious uncle has a new business idea, which could be a way out of their tough situation.

At a crossroads between Snows of Kilimandjaro and THE HOUSE BY THE SEA, GLORIA MUNDI is a powerful social drama that sees Robert Guédiguian exploring some of his favorite themes, and dissecting with utmost precision the fabric of the family unit.

“Robert is here at his very best, so we are naturally thrilled to be collaborating with him again on this special project. This is a tale of the modern working-class, as sharp in its portrayal of the violence and cruelty of our world as it is optimistic, with thunderbolts of humor and humanity. It is a resolutely honest and relevant story, but more importantly it is a deeply universal and accessible one” says Juliette Schrameck.

GLORIA MUNDI is produced by Agat Films & Ex-Nihilo, with Diaphana on board for the French Distribution.

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