Canto due “by Abdellatif Kechiche, turned 7 years ago, is only projected now

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Abdellatif Kechiche, here in May 2019, in Cannes.

Cinema – Some, like Hafsia Herzi or Adèle Exarchopoulos, boast her genius. Consequently, Others conspire it for working practices deemed not very legal. Moreover, Nine years after the release of his latest feature film at the cinema. Meanwhile, Abdellatif Kechiche is back this Saturday, August 9, with the projection of Mektoub my Love : Canto Due At the Locarno festival, in Switzerland.

The eighth film of the director of The seed. Meanwhile, the mule, Adèle’s life et Dodge contributes to the international category of the festival, which is held until August 16. Consequently, A surprise for many at the announcement of his selection during the canto due “by abdellatif kechiche, month of June, which the organizers rejoice. However, The 64 -year -old filmmaker was more discreet.

Not a reaction from him, or even a word on the plot. Therefore, The film has long been described as ” The real series of Mektoub My Love: Canto Uno ”. Similarly, Critical success. Furthermore, but less popular (just over 128,000 spectators in France), the film followed the story of a group of young people in Sète, between love games, seduction and intoxication evenings in the light of a summer during the 1990s.

Turned seven years ago. In addition, Singing twowhose release date in theaters is still unknown, arrives in a particular context, that of the fiasco of its director at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019. Nevertheless, That year. Meanwhile, he came to present Mektoub, My Love : Intermezzo, sort of interlude of more than approximately 3:30 am between the canto due “by abdellatif kechiche, two episodes.

Interlude Sow the controversy

If many festival-goers left the room due to the raw. Similarly, erotic sex scenes of the film shot in a nightclub, it has caused a lot of ink to flow in the press at that time for other reasons. Similarly, Its main actress Ophélie Bau disappeared after the climb of the steps. Furthermore, and did not appear the next day at a press conference.

The reason for this withdrawal? In addition, An unpaid several -minute cunnilingus scene, which she thought she did not see the final editing. Similarly, To this were added many criticisms of “male gaze” (a notion denouncing the stereotypes of the male gaze. editor’s note) against Abdellatif Kechiche, accused of lingering at length on the buttocks of the dancers hung on pole dance bars.

« The more important thing. for me, was to canto due “by abdellatif kechiche, celebrate life, love, desire, bread, music, body and to try the most free cinematographic experience “, He said to the press on the Croisette. Before talking about “conspiracy” in a public letter addressed against the actress. who has ” at no time, manifested the slightest discomfort or as to its nudity, […] nor as to the erotic dimension of certain sequences ”, According to him.

Eventually, Mektoub, My Love : Intermezzo Never left in the cinema. Some ensure that he was weighed down by controversy. Others, for money reasons: the funders were unable to pay the rights of the techno remix Do you want? D’Abba, looped in the feature film. « Interlude As I had designed it. I preferred to put it aside ”, explained to our colleagues Sofilm The filmmaker, according to whom it was a ” free exercise ».

Abdellatif Kechiche passes there ” all canto due “by abdellatif kechiche, his time »

The idea of the diptych. which he imagined along the way, never left him. In 2020, when his production company has just been liquidated, he decided to tackle this new film shot in 2018. The filmmaker has a phenomenal quantity of rushs: a thousand hours. a figure far beyond the record held by Adèle’s life (750 hours), note Libération.

Worse, the daily says that he was dropped by his partners. Its distributor Pathé. its international seller (Wild Bunch) would have been recalcitrant at the idea of ” hand over to the wallet ». Luckily for the director, a new producer entered the arena. His name? Pascal Caucheteux. the boss of Why not productions, who counts, among other things, in his ranks Christophe Honoré, Jacques Audiard and Maïwen.

Some additional tickets, and here is Abdellatif Kechiche left more beautiful. “” I have canto due “by abdellatif kechiche, spent my time there for all these years. I only did that: go up, go up, try. I hope soon the end “he declared in 2022 at the Festival Cinémed de Montpellier. where his arrival sparked a demonstration against his « sexism »his working methods close to moral harassment, motivated by a complaint for sexual assault, classified without follow -up.

The Cannes Film Festival declines

In 2024, he still had his nose in it, but the closure is approaching. A first version is offered to the selection committee of the Cannes Festival without the agreement of the director. She is failed. In 2025, rebelote. On the advice of another producer. a certain Riccardo Marchegiani, we retry the experience with the fifteen of filmmakers, parallel selection. The film must go back to the editing, according to them. The vagueness around the final version worries them. They decline.

canto due “by abdellatif kechiche,

It is finally Locarno who recovers it, on the advice of its artistic director. What does the film look like? Mystery. They say they have ” worked very long on it », And give all their confidence to the producer.

What about Abdellatif Kechiche? Will he be present? The filmmaker was the victim of a stroke last March. Its oral and written capacities are reduced. If it is said that he would like to focus on producer activities, his skills to lead are very questioned. What to add an additional expectation. Mektoub my Love : Canto Due Could he be the last film in his career?