Yahoo Lifestyle Moon a Deal Backs Moroccan Genre Guru Talal Selhami’s ‘The Shelter,’ Set to Pitch at Marrakech’s Atlas Workshops (EXCLUSIVE)
Paris-based Moon a Deal Films has boarded Talal Selhami’s upcoming feature, “The Shelter,” set to pitch at this year’s Atlas Workshops, part of the Marrakech Intl. Film Festival.
Moon a Deal will be the film’s development co-producer, joining Moroccan lead producer La Prod. Both companies were founded and are led by Moroccan indie superproducer Lamia Chraibi, who will produce alongside La Prod’s Sophia Menni.
More from Variety
The feature project will tell the story of Leila, an exiled Syrian refugee war survivor who must care for Georges, a former diplomat nearing the end of his life. Being brought so close to the prospect of death awakens ghosts from Leila’s past that the woman must address.
“The Shelter” has already received development backing from the Red Sea Fund and writing support from Morrocan film agency, the Centre Cinématographique Marocain, and will be hoping to score one of the cash prizes up for grabs at this year’s Atlas Workshops.
French-Moroccan filmmaker Selhami is best known for his standout 2019 horror film “Achoura,” based on Moroccan folklore. The film screened at several prestigious genre festivals, including Sitges, where it won a special mention, and Hard:Line, where it won best film.
“With ‘Achoura,’ my previous film, I wanted to introduce the monster movie genre to the MENA region through an entertaining tale,” the director told Variety. “I see ‘The Shelter’ as a turning point in my career. It will be a shocker, something radical, a psychological film where the horror is truly visceral. It’s a universal and very dark story about death, but paradoxically, it’s also an ode to life. Thematically, the film lies somewhere between Adrian Lyne’s ‘Jacob’s Ladder’ and Jane Campion’s ‘The Piano.'”
Founded in 2007, La Prod is a Moroccan production company based in Casablanca. Dedicated to developing fiction productions of all types alongside documentaries and series, La Prod has worked with a diverse group of top Moroccan filmmakers, including Hicham Lasri, Narjiss Nejjjar, Ismaïl Ferroukhi and Mohcine Besri. The studio also co-produced Oliver Laxe’s “Mimosas,” which won the Grand Prix at Critics’ Week in 2016.
“‘The Shelter’ is a powerful story told through a unique lens,” said La Prod’s Menni. “The involvement of La Prod, and Moon a Deal Films, both founded by Lamia Chraibi, brings proven expertise to the project. I embraced ‘The Shelter’ as an elevated genre film that aligns Talal’s impactful visual cinematic universe and my commitment to bold, original, and socially engaged storytelling, continuing La Prod’s tradition of working with inspiring cinematic voices.”
Speaking about their goals for the film at this year’s Marrakech Festival, Menni added, “At Atlas, our immediate focus is evaluating how the industry reacts and welcomes our project, securing co-production partners and meeting sales agents and financiers.”
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
