a film is released in cinemas 20 years after its filming

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“In 2004, the director of Canal+ gave me the budget to make the film Exchange ratewhich was broadcast on television on Canal+ and TF1more never at the cinema »says the director Alan Simon.

20 years later, the film will finally released in theatershas Blain (Loire-Atlantique)!

A film sold in 27 countries

His film was then sold in 27 countries. It tells the story of a family of Kalmoukiea republic of Russia. “A large part of the population of this republic comes from Mongolia and considers themselves descendants of Genghis Khan. »

The film is about of inhabitants who follow in the footsteps of their ancestors. This is how the director followed the grandmother, the brother, the son and the granddaughter during a 6,000 km journey in the steppes of Central Asia.

An achievement which took him through superb landscapes: “it was a complete change of scenery, just like the way people live”.

A meeting that triggers everything

It is after a encounter that the one who dreamed, as a child, of making a feature film was able to realize his dream.

“In 2002, my album Gaia comes out and I go to Cannes for the Midem festival. We played with around fifty artists and, among the singers, there were ethnic leaders, including Okena Tsham Zan. He performed Mongolian songs. When he returned home to Kalmykia, he invited me to come see him. When I arrived in Elista, the capital of Kalmykia, I was the only foreigner. »

At the cinema on November 17

Alan Simon then discovers a Soviet city where buildings take pride of place. In the middle of these buildings, he sees a yurt. “What was surprising was that there was a long queue outside the yurt and people all had eggs. It was a shaman who lived there and who had the gift of healing. She lived with her brother Anatole and her granddaughter Lera. »

In full contemplation, Alan then sees a cavalier. It was the son, Bator. “I went to meet them. This family claimed to be descended from Kalmykia. The mother dreamed of returning to Mongolia. Their story made me want to make a film about itin which they were willing to play. »

Jean Réno as narrator

This is how the director followed their footsteps from Kalmykia, to Kazakhstanto the Siberia and in Mongolia. “We filmed the people we met. This family who sang all the time has found their land. Overcome with emotion, the grandmother kissed the ground. »

Alan Simon also chose a particular narrator for the film. ” It is Jean Reno who does it for the French version and Omar Sharif for the English version. »

The film, which has never been released in cinemas, will be screened on November 17, 2024 at the Blain cinema. Alan Simon will be present during the screening.

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