Studiocanal has unveiled a first look at Roxine Helberg’s action thriller Coka Chica about a trio of best friends turned drug mules who become embroiled in a violent adventure in the Caribbean when one of the girls disappears. The company is showing a promo reel to EFM buyers.
Eva Huault, Fadily Camara, and Zoé Marchal star in the film, now in post-production, that shot on location in the Dominican Republic last year. It is based a true story.
Coka Chica is produced by Paris-based Bien ou Bien Productions. “I wanted to make a film about girls from the Paris projects,” said Bien ou Bien founder Zangro, who goes by one name, “They are low on the social ladder, but I wanted to honour them by putting them in a survival situation to show they have skills that girls from the ritzy 16th arrondissement wouldn’t have.”
The cast prepared with intense training for months ahead of shooting, working wtih action training company Univers Cascades to choreograph the fight scenes. “Our aim was to make the film as organic and visceral as possible – nothing is fake. We wanted to show sweat, blood and intensity,” Zangro explained.
The producer co-wrote the script with François Garcia Fiore, both of whom have local family in the Dominican Republic. Director Helberg’s credits include 2023 title Cold Copy starring Bel Powley and Tracee Ellis Ross.
Coka Chica was shot on location in one of the region’s most dangerous neighbourhoods, La 42 de Capotillo. “We brought a high-end production team from France and worked with local Dominican crews. Local gangs protected us – we couldn’t have shot without them,” said the producer.
Despite the high-octane action and violence, Zangro said: “it’s a universal story about friendship at heart that was made to travel”.
Bien ou Bien aims to carve out a niche in the elevated genre space. “There’s a new French cinema emerging,” said Zangro, citing titles such as Xavier Gens’ action thriller Farang and Sebastien Vanicek’s spooky spider horror Vermin. “We’re trying to show that even with [a budget of ] under €5 million we can have real production value.”
Bien ou Bien’s further credits include Maimouna Doucouré’s Cuties and Hawa. Casting is underway on Doucouré’s high-budget Josephine Baker biopic for which it is reteaming with Studiocanal.
Next up for the company in the genre strand is “a French Get Out, shot in English, but the main character is French”, revealed Zangro.
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