Neneh Superstar

Neneh Superstar is a 2022 French comedy drama film written and directed by Ramzi Ben Sliman, starring Oumy Bruni Garrel and Maïwenn. The film made its world premiere in the main competition at the Festival du Film de Demain on 3 June 2022, and was released theatrically in France by Gaumont on 25 January 2023.

Neneh Superstar
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRamzi Ben Sliman
Screenplay byRamzi Ben Sliman
Produced by
  • Rémi Cervoni[1]
  • Sidonie Dumas[1]
  • Marc Vadé[1]
Starring
CinematographyAntony Diaz[1]
Edited byBasile Belkhiri[1]
Music byJean-Bohémond Leguay[1]
Production
companies
Distributed byGaumont[2]
Release dates
  • 3 June 2022 (2022-06-03) (Festival du Film de Demain)[3]
  • 25 January 2023 (2023-01-25) (France)[2]
Running time
96 min[1]
CountryFrance[1]
LanguageFrench[1]
Budget€5,4 million[4][5]
Box office$424,548[6]

Plot

Neneh is a 12-year-old black girl who dreams of becoming a ballerina at the Paris Opera Ballet School. Despite her enthusiasm, Neneh will have to redouble her efforts to escape from her condition and be accepted by the director of the school, Marianne Belage.

Cast

Production

Neneh Superstar was co-produced by Gaumont and France 2 Cinéma,[7][8] and pre-purchased by Canal+ and Ciné+ when the film was still in post-production.[8] Gaumont handles both the film's distribution in France and international sales.[8]

While preparing this film, director Ramzi Ben Sliman watched many documentaries, in particular Graines d'étoiles by Françoise Marie, which follows students of the Paris Opera Ballet over the years.[9]

Director Ramzi Ben Sliman wrote the film for Maïwenn, who portrays the inflexible headmistress Marianne Belage, who refuses to accept Neneh into her ballet school. "I did not consider any other actress, and her film DNA confirmed my choice", Sliman said.[9] Mehdi Kerkouche was the film's choreographer.[9]

To find an actress to portray the role of Neneh, Sliman searched in France and in particular in the DOM-TOMs, in all the French-speaking countries, in Mali, Senegal, etc. He found girls with acting potential, but who did not dance well enough.[9] Sliman said in the film's press kit:

And then I became aware of this other glass ceiling: little black girls give up ballet very early, because they see no future for them. We were in the middle of Covid, the situation was getting tense. And finally, while we were "casting" the other little girls, mainly from two dance classes in Paris, they all told me about the same dancer, whom I met in classes and competitions. It was Oumy Bruni Garrel. The filmed interview quickly proved to be convincing. She had a great screen presence, really. She also explained to me that she had been to protests in support of George Floyd, that she sometimes suffered from being black in the world of classical dance. I understood, then, that she had enough to build and portray the character of Neneh. Having searched for her all over the world for months, the irony of fate wanted her to live with her parents 200 meters from my house.[9]

Bruni Garrel said the film made her think of her own story. "We both suffered things," she told AFP.[10]

Filming

Sliman and his team were not able to shoot in Nanterre, where the Paris Opera Ballet School is located, so they had to shoot the film at the École Centrale in Saclay, which has the same aesthetic. "Hence this (almost) optical illusion, for those who know Nanterre", the director explained.[9] Filming began on 7 June 2021 and wrapped on 4 August 2021.[8]

Marketing

The film's first official poster was unveiled on 10 November 2022.[11] The official trailer was released by Gaumont on 23 November 2022.[12] Unifrance unveiled a new trailer with English subtitles on 21 March 2023.[13]

Release

The film made its world premiere in the main competition at the Festival du Film de Demain in Vierzon, France on 3 June 2022.[3] It had a sold-out screening at the London Film Festival on 8 October 2022.[14] The film was released in theaters in France by Gaumont on 25 January 2023.[2] It was screened at the Rendez-Vous With French Cinema at the Lincoln Center in New York City on 7 March 2023.[15]

Soundtrack

The album with the film's soundtrack, composed by Jean-Bohémond Leguay, was released on 20 January 2023.[16]

Reception

AlloCiné, a French cinema website, gave the film an average rating of 2.9/5, based on a survey of 13 French reviews.[17]

Awards and nominations
Year Award / Film Festival Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
2022 Festival du Film de Demain Best Feature Film Ramzi Ben Sliman Nominated [18]
Mon Premier Festival Jury Prize - Best Film Won [19]

References
  1. "Neneh Superstar de Ramzi Ben Sliman (2022)". Unifrance. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  2. "Neneh Superstar". Gaumont.net. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  3. "La compétition | Festival du Film de Demain". filmdedemain.fr (in French). Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  4. "BOX-OFFICE France (du 25 au 31 janvier 2023)". Cine Directors (in French). Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  5. "La Rémunération de Ramzi Ben Sliman Pour la Réalisation de « Neneh Superstar »". Siritz (in French). 31 January 2023. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  6. "Neneh Superstar (2022)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  7. Goodfellow, Melanie (18 June 2021). "Ballet drama 'Neneh Superstar' joins Gaumont's busy Pre-Cannes Screenings slate (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on 1 October 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  8. Lemercier, Fabien (17 August 2021). "Neneh Superstar is now in post-production". Cineuropa. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  9. "Neneh Superstar - Press Kit" (PDF). Unifrance (in French). Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  10. ""Neneh superstar", diversité et ballet sur grand écran". Le Point (in French). 20 January 2023. Archived from the original on 24 January 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  11. "Affiche du film Neneh Superstar". AlloCiné (in French). 10 November 2022. Archived from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  12. Gaumont (23 November 2022). "NENEH SUPERSTAR - Bande-annonce [Le 25 janvier au cinéma]". YouTube (in French). Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  13. "Neneh Superstar (2023) - Trailer (English Subs)". YouTube. 21 March 2023. Archived from the original on 22 March 2023.
  14. "Neneh Superstar | BFI London Film Festival 2022". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  15. Lang, Brent (26 January 2023). "Rendez-Vous with French Cinema Announces Full Line-Up". Variety. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  16. "'Neneh Superstar' Soundtrack Released". Film Music Reporter. 24 January 2023. Archived from the original on 26 January 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  17. "Critiques presse pour le film Neneh Superstar". AlloCiné (in French). Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  18. "La compétition | Festival du Film de Demain". filmdedemain.fr (in French). Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  19. "Le palmarès du festival". paris.fr (in French). 2 November 2022. Archived from the original on 31 March 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
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