Quartiers Lointains : Season 1
IDENTITIES

France has often been seen through films whose lens belonged to a single privileged social class, living far from the hardships faced by descendants of migrants born and settled in this country. It has often been believed that only Africa made films on a shoestring, with no money, by making do. That is not the case. For several years, young French directors have taken hold of cinema without funding or connections, but with passion. Quartiers Lointains offers a fresh, sharp, questioning look at French society, while showing that young filmmakers anywhere in the world can take up the torch with ambition, ideas and little money.

The films

Fais Croquer by Yassine Qnia

Fiction - 2011 - France - 22 min - Nouvelle Toile

Synopsis

Yassine, a young passionate cinephile, wants to shoot a film in his neighbourhood. He wants to involve his childhood friends in the project. But friendship sometimes has its pitfalls.

Biography

A land surveyor by trade, Yassine Qnia shot this film with his group of friends and a very young production company. After a strong festival run, Fais Croquer opened the doors of the industry to its director, who is currently preparing the feature-length version of this film. [RETROSPECTIVE NOTE: De bas étage, his first feature, premiered at Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival 2021]

Film career

Festival Génération Court – Aubervilliers 2011 – Prix du Public et du Jury; Festival Premiers Plans – Angers 2012 - Prix CCAS; Festival Itinérances – Alès 2012 - Prix spécial du jury; Festival du Cinéma européen - Lille 2012 - Prix spécial du jury; Festival Côté Court - Pantin 2012 - Prix du public; Festival Cinémabrut - Mouans-Sartoux 2012 - Brutal de bronze; Festival Tolosa Tourne – Toulouse 2012 - Premier prix; Festival Courtscourts – Tourtour 2012 - Premier prix

La ligne brune by Rachid Djaïdani

Documentary - 2010 - France - 26 min

Synopsis

La ligne brune is a film built on the nine months wrapping my wife’s pregnancy who, with skin so close to the surface, will bring forth on the flow of her thinking her happiness: becoming a mother. Being a father? I never went to school for it and my animal instinct left me behind since Cro-Magnon. La ligne brune is a singular filmic ultrasound, a hymn to love.

Biography

Boxer, writer and director, Rachid Djaïdani shot this film with a still camera and a mobile phone. Since then, he received the FIPRESCI Prize of the International Critics at the Cannes Film Festival 2012 for his first feature, self-produced over nine years, Rengaine. [RETROSPECTIVE NOTE: His second feature, Tour de France, with Gérard Depardieu, premiered at Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival 2016]

Film career

Festival Les Pépites du Cinéma – La Courneuve 2010 ; Festival Pocket Films – Paris 2011; Dubai International Film Festival 2011; Festival Cinébanlieue 2012

J'mange pas d'porc by Akim Isker

Fiction - 2012 - France - 27 min

Synopsis

Zino, a young supporter of the French national football team, steals a pizza without realizing it is pork. Something stops him from eating it. Other people’s gazes? His upbringing? His religion, or his faith? That night, all his contradictions will lead him to confront his own identity.

Biography

Actor and director Akim Isker (La Planque) and casting director Mohamed Belhamar (Un prophète) teamed up for the first time to make this self-produced short, shot with many non-professional actors.

Film career

Festival Les Pépites du Cinéma – La Courneuve 2012; Binic International Short Film Festival – France 2013 – Prix Paul Simon; Festival Courte Nuit – France 2013; Festival Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux – France 2013; Josselin International Short Film Festival – France 2013

White Girl in her panty by Djinn Carrénard

Fiction - 2010 - France - 24 min

Synopsis

This film is a prequel to the feature Donoma: in this short, Dama and Leelop, French expatriates in New York, meet; in Donoma they will separate.

Biography

Shot on the fly in New York with French actors found there by chance, White girl in her panty is the prequel to a self-produced feature that caused a sensation at the Cannes Film Festival 2010 and won the Prix Louis Delluc 2011 for Best First Film, Donoma. Djinn Carrénard is currently finishing his second fiction feature, Faire l’amour. [RETROSPECTIVE NOTE: His second film Faire l’amour had its world premiere at Critics’ Week at the Cannes Film Festival 2014.]

Film career

Festival Les Pépites du Cinéma – La Courneuve 2010; Festival du Cinéma Européen – Lille 2013

En équipe by Steve Achiepo

Fiction - 2012 - France - 21 min - Collectif Diaph1kat

Synopsis

Cergy, Paris suburbs. Bastien, 16, has just won a decisive match with his team. As he celebrates the victory, Sékou, his best friend, shares explosive news in front of all his teammates: Lauriane, the pretty girl with the red scarf, wants to meet him…

Biography

Actor Steve Achiepo’s first outing as a director, En équipe was self-produced and shot with amateur actors: the players of a football team. The director is currently developing a second short-film project produced by a French film company. [RETROSPECTIVE NOTE: In 2022, Steve Achiepo’s first feature, Le marchand de sable, won the Bayard d’or at the Festival du film francophone de Namur.]

Film career

Festival Cinébanlieue – Saint-Denis 2012 – Prix Talents en Courts; Festival Silence on Court ! - Paris 2013 – Prix des Lycéens; Festival Côté Court – Pantin 2013; Festival des Films du Monde - Montreal 2013; Festival de Gindou – France 2013.

Audience feedback

Season 1 retrospective

Screening, Pantin 26/06/2015

Screening, Brétigny - 10/04/2015

Screening, Rouen 27/01/15

Screening, Chilly-Mazarin 21/12/14

Screening, Magic Cinema Bobigny 19/12/14

Screening, Barathym Grenoble 28/11/14

Quartiers Lointains : Season 2

FAMILY