Muret. Reda Kateb: “I broke down all the barriers”

Reda Kateb, a renowned actor, who has played exciting roles with precision and instinct, in Hippocrates, César for best supporting actor, The Wolf’s Call and Django…

“Sur un Fil”, his first film as a director, deals with the world of pediatric hospitalizations and the clowns who wander the corridors and rooms of hospitals to brighten up the day of sick children. A story inspired by the book “Le rire médecin: Journal du Docteur Girafe” written by Caroline Simonds, founder, in 1991, of Rire médecin. “It was an obvious encounter”, he specifies, “Caroline opened the door to her world for me, I was able to be immersed in a hospital and capture moments of life that we find in the script.” There is also an intimate part, explains Reda Kateb modestly. “I broke down all the barriers, I mixed things that come from my childhood, because I grew up with a father who was a theater actor and a mother who was a nurse. The setting of my childhood juggled between the backstage of acrobat theater and the corridors of the hospital.

A tribute to caregivers

It is a tribute to caregivers and true artists who are not in the quest for recognition.” A director who lives up to his acting skills, in the perception of what is right and with exceptional finesse, “I reveal myself like never before, even if I am not on screen, there is a part of me in all these characters, something that is extremely personal and intimate to me.” Actors who scream truth, filled with emotion in tailor-made roles, “The personality of Aloïse, a young acrobat, immediately captivated me. Whether it was Philippe Rebbot, Jean-Philippe Buzaud or Sara Giraudeau, I hoped with all my heart that they would say yes to being part of the adventure. Stéphane Batut and his assistants did a remarkable job with the rest of the casting. The magic worked, the child actors were wonderfully professional and Elsa Wolliaston who plays the role of Caroline Simonds was incredible.” “This shoot was like the crew of a boat, united and welded with a light, joyful and very sweet atmosphere”, he smiles. “I am proud to have brought this film to the cinema screens, but I do not take any personal glory from it, it is a small miracle when it touches people”, he concludes.