Julia Ducournau’s next film will be distributed by Neon, it’s titled “Alpha.” The cast includes Golshifteh Farahani (“Paterson”) as well as César award-winning Tahar Rahim (“A Prophet”). Ducournau is coming off her Palme-winning “Titane.”
Not much is known about “Alpha,” which is currently shooting in France, only that it’s being described as Ducournau’s “most personal, profound work yet,” and tackles an 11-year-old girl.
A set report from the filming of "Alpha," in Normandy, has first details about the film's story. The synopsis reads that the film tackles a teenager from the late ‘80s, and starts getting rejected by her classmates because of a rumor spreading that she’s been infected with a new disease. Rahim and Farahani might be playing the parents of the young girl.
It’s been three years since “Titane,” which resulted in a passionately polarized response at Cannes 2021. Even the Telluride Film Festival rejected the film. I dug its midnight movie vibes. It’s also well worth checking out Ducournau’s first feature, 2017’s “Raw.”
It also be noted that Ducournau is also working on her own TV series, with A24 backing the project, but that one is still in the very early stages of development.
You can expect Ducournau’s “Alpha” to premiere at next year’s Cannes Film Festival. Other filmmakers potentially eyeing to premiere new films on the Croisette next year include Richard Linklater, Lynne Ramsay, Jim Jarmusch, Wes Anderson, Kelly Reichardt, Park Chan-wook, and Terrence Malick. More titles can be found here.
“Hope,” Na’s first film in ten years — his last one being the exemplary “The Wailing” —is a gloriously messy, blood-soaked sci-fi epic that may become a cult classic despite—or because of—its polarizing nature.