Lawrence Valins’ thriller Little Jaffna, about Paris gangs, and Finnish directors Jusso Laatio and Juka Vidberg’s action comedy Heavier Trip about a heavy metal band who break out of prison, head the new films on the European Film Market slate of France’s Charades.
Little Jaffna is Valins’ debut feature in which Valins also stars alongside a rising local cast. It is produced by Simon Bleuzé’s Mean Streets alongside prolific production house Agat Films. Set in the titular Little Jaffna, a district in Paris home to a vibrant Tamoul community, the film follows a young police officer on a mission to infiltrate a notorious gang and bring down its leader.
Heaver Trip, produced by Finland’s Making Movies, is about a death metal band who break out of a Norwegian prison and embark on an adventure-filled journey across Northern Europe to perform at a festival.
Both films are in post-production.
Charades’ EFM slate also contains several animated features including David N. Weiss’ Hypergalactic from Toei Animation about a pair of siblings and a magical monkey. The English-language voice cast includes Adam Devine, Elsie Fisher, J.K. Simmons and Sam Richardson.
The company is also launching Japanese animation Ghost Cat Anzu from Miyu Productions and Shin-Ei Animation, about a young girl whose grandfather sends a capricious ghost cat to care for her, and Tommy Wirkola and Rasmus A. Sivertsen’s young adult animation Spermageddson from 74 Entertainment and Qvisten Animation. The latter is about sperm cells racing to fertilise an egg.
Charades is also working on Australian director Adam Eliot’s stop- motion animation Memoir Of A Snail, about two siblings struggling with grief as they dream of being reunited and Norwegian drama Armand, directed by Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel and starring Renate Reinsve, about a schoolyard incident that explodes into a major clash between parents and teachers.
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