Director Olivier Dahan will begin shooting the Edith Piaf project La Môme on January 16 at Prague Studios in the Czech Republic.
The film, produced by OKKO Production and Songbird Pictures Limited and Legende Entreprises, will star Marion Cotillard as Piaf. Cotillard won a César award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in A Very Long Engagement. She also stars in the thriller Fair Play, which shot at Barrandov Studios earlier this year.
Timothy Burrill wil co-produce for Songbird Pictures Limited in the UK with Marc Jenny co-producing for OKKO Production in Prague. Marc Jenny said the film would shoot at Prague Studios and at various locations in the Czech Republic and France. He could not confirm budget details, but said the project was a Czech-French co-production but without state or EU support. “It’s like an indie,” Jenny told Screendaily.com.
“We’re very honoured and very happy to host this project,” said Prague Studios general manager Tomas Krejci, adding that La Môme was ‘perfect’ for his studios, which compete for projects with Barrandov Studios across town. Dahan’s shoot will occupy all three of Prague Studios’ stages, including the 3,000-square-metre Stage 1.
International sales will be handled by French broadcaster TF1, Jenny said.
Dahan was nominated for a Golden Seashell for La Vie Promise in 2002. More recently he directed Crimson Rivers 2: Angels of the Apocalypse.
OKKO Production, founded in 1998, has taken part in numerous French co-productions in the Czech Republic, including last year’s Fair Play, D’Artagnan et les trois mousquetaires, and Luc Besson’s The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc.
Légende Entreprises titles include Crimson Rivers, Martin Scorcese’s Casino and Ridley Scott’s 1492: Conquest of Paradise.