Benjamin Elalouf\u2019s Moonshaker, the Paris-based banner behind Netfix\u2019s popular documentary \u201cLords of Scam,\u201d has joined forces with TF1-owned\u00a0Newen\u00a0to expand its scope, and is developing No\u00e9 Debr\u00e9\u2019s \u201cThe Last of the Jews,\u201d among other director-driven projects.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Last of the Jews\u201d will mark the anticipated feature debut of Debr\u00e9, the critically acclaimed co-screenwriter of \u201cDheepan\u201d and \u201cStillwater,\u201d whose latest short film \u201cOn n\u2019est pas des animaux\u201d \u2014 also produced by Moonshaker \u2014 competed at this year\u2019s Sundance.<\/p>\n
A burlesque bittersweet comedy, \u201cThe Last of the Jews\u201d will be headlined by a strong French cast including Agnes Jaoui and Michael Zindel.<\/p>\n
Set to start shooting in March, the movie takes place in an underprivileged suburb on the outskirts of Paris and revolves around a 27-year-old Jewish man, Bellisha, who lives with his mother, Giselle. The suburb has seen the synagogue shut down, and now the last remaining Kosher grocery story is closing \u2014 they are officially the last Jews living there. Bellisha doesn\u2019t mind, having forged friendships bonds within the suburb in spite of ongoing tensions, but Giselle is eager to leave and reunite with her community elsewhere.<\/p>\n
Elalouf said the film will be poetic and depict burlesque situations with dark humor, in the vein of movies by the Safdie Brothers and Italian neo-realism cinema. \u201cThe Last of the Jews,\u201d which is being circled by several distributors and sales agents, has received the CNC\u2019s advance on receipts subsidies.<\/p>\n
Another project on Moonshaker\u2019s roster is Cedric Kahn\u2019s \u201cLe proc\u00e8s de Pierre Goldman\u201d (Pierre Goldman\u2019s Trial), a movie chronicling the trial of Goldman, a French left-wing revolutionary who was convicted of several robberies and was mysteriously murdered. Co-written by Nathalie Hertzberg, the film will revisit Goldman\u2019s epic life, from his childhood in the 1940s, to his relationship with Fidel Castro and the Black Panthers, through flashbacks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe film won\u2019t be a classic procedural, it will have a radical mise-en-scene,\u201d said Elalouf, adding that the film will also be suspenseful due to the fact that Goldman was facing a death sentence. \u201cLe proc\u00e8s de Pierre Goldman\u201d will star Arthur Harari (\u201cSybil\u201d) and Ariel Worthalter.<\/p>\n
Moonshaker is rolling off \u201cLords of Scam,\u201d a\u00a0Netflix\u00a0original documentary penned by\u00a0Olivier Bouchara\u00a0and directed by French auteur Guillaume Nicloux, tracking the rise and fall of conmen who cheated the EU carbon quota system and pocketed millions before turning on each other. Elalouf and Sarah Prot, who joined Moonshaker in 2020, produced the documentary with Gaumont and Netflix.<\/p>\n
\u201cLords of Scam\u201d launched on the streamer on Nov. 3 and is still ranking among the top 10 most-watched international films. The hilarious docu is based on Bouchara\u2019s investigative story published in Vanity Fair in France, and sees Mardoch\u00e9 \u201cMarco\u201d Mouly, fresh from a nine-year prison sentence, tell the \u201cGoodfellas\u201d-worthy story of the multi-million-dollar scam.<\/p>\n
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Newen, the distribution and production company owned by leading French TV network TF1 Group, has just acquired a minority stake in Moonshaker.<\/p>\n
Created 10 years ago by Elalouf, Moonshaker previously delivered successful French movies such as Anthony Marciano\u2019s \u201cPlay\u201d with Max Boublil and Yvan Attal\u2019s \u201cLe Brio\u201d with Daniel Auteuil and Cam\u00e9lia Jordana, who won the Cesar award for best female newcomer. Both \u201cLe Brio\u201d and \u201cPlay\u201d were produced with Dimitri Rassam\u2019s Chapter 2. Moonshaker also produced Kim Chapiron\u2019s \u201cLa cr\u00e8me de la cr\u00e8me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith Newen on board, we\u2019re looking to diversify and produce more television, either series or documentaries, along with films,\u201d said Elalouf. The young producer said he was attracted by the amount of creativity that\u2019s driving contemporary series and documentaries, and will also be accompanying filmmakers as they move into TV.<\/p>\n