Dawn of the Jedi is a web series produced and directed in the Pyrénées-Orientales by 8 Star Wars fans. The first episode, broadcast for free on YouTube, was even presented at the Toulouse Game Show (TGS), one of the most important pop culture events in the South of France.
When passion awakens talents. This is what could be learned from the first episode of Dawn of the Jedi, a web series broadcast for free on YouTube, produced and directed by the Alliance de la Force, a Perpignan association.
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This committee brings together 8 fans of cinema and more specifically of the Star Wars saga. They met within another association, specializing in martial arts and offering a lightsaber option. “When it was disbanded, we had the idea of coming together to achieve a specific objective: create our fan film“, specifies Lionel Sanchez, the president. For laymen, a “fan film”, as its name suggests, is inspired by an existing saga but evolving in a parallel story.
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Lionel has a scenario in mind. So, in his team, everyone rolls up their sleeves. Because to bring Lionel’s story to fruition and put it on film, you still have to shoot it, perform it, edit it… So many skills to acquire for these 8 amateurs. “We had a decisive meeting with professional photographer Cyril Pulizzi. He started following us, taking photos of us. For his part, he wanted to learn about video. Naturally, he was assigned to film and everything accelerated.”.
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What was supposed to be a film will ultimately become a 6-episode web series. The first was filmed between December 2023 and February 2024. And it was the Pyrénées-Orientales which served as the setting. The Catalan lands would obviously be fertile ground for creating images inspired by Star Wars. “The opening shot was filmed at the foot of Fort de Bellegarde in Perthus. The entrance to the palace of the Kings of Majorca perfectly matched the decor of our temple“, specifies the director. And it works. In addition to the atmosphere, the lightsaber fights are perfect. The special effects have nothing to envy of national productions. “We do not shoot in the studio because we do not have the financial means, despite a subsidy from the City of Perpignan, to rent a room for a weekend. But we take the time to do things. Episodes 2 and 3 are currently in pre-production. We rehearse every Wednesday. For the last three episodes, we would like to open the adventure to everyone who wishes: whether they are interested in comedy, cinema, video… The plot of the story is written in my head, but we will make adaptations according to the personalities who want to join us”.
The next episode, filmed partly in Port-Vendres, should be visible by May 2025. The third is hoped for in the fall of 2025.
