Berlin-based sales banner Films Boutique has acquired Elisabeth Vogler’s “Roaring 20’s” ahead of its world premiere in competition at Tribeca.
Vogler’s follow-up to “Paris is Us,” “Roaring 20’s“ was shot in one uninterrupted single sequence in Paris in the summer of 2020.
The sophomore feature came to life just after the two-month lockdown was lifted in France, and follows Parisians from the sunny banks of the Seine river through the crowded streets of the inner-city as they rejoice and make unexpected encounters. A love letter to Paris, the movie provides a snapshot of this newly-found freedom, lightness and happiness through the city. The film shot across four miles by foot, bike, metro and scooter with 24 actors and a light crew of 16 people.
“”Roading 20’s’ is a very rare film as it captures perfectly the spirit of the time we are currently living in,” said Films Boutique founder Jean-Christophe Simon.
“We can feel from the very first second that the film is full of hope and energy and was also made with this universal and strong wish to be outside together after the months we all spent at home during the lockdowns.”
Simon said the movie was shot in a “guerilla way” and described it as a directorial achievement because “you’re constantly asking yourself through the whole film how they could make this work with so many actors, so many places and in only one shot.”
The movie’s concept is inspirational in itself — it says that all centuries start in the 1920s. “After the times we all went through, I guess that’s what we all hope and need for the world to come,” said Simon.
The film was produced by Olivier Capelli at Les Idiots and Laurent Rochette at 21 Juin Cinéma with a micro budget. The duo had previously teamed with Vogler on “Paris is Us,” a movie shot in the aftermath of the Paris terror attacks of 2015, which was eventually boarded by Netflix as one of its first French feature-length films.
“We’ve made our previous film ‘Paris is Us’ with no money, a little camera and a very small team to be as close to life as possible (…) and with ‘Roaring 20’s’ we wanted to shoot right after the first lockdown; it meant no time to look for financiers,” said Rochette.
The producer said the money raised through crowdfunding for “Paris is Us” was used to hire the cast and crew for “Roaring 20’s.” The producer said they rehearsed for one month and shot six takes at the same exact time each day.
Vogler penned the script with Joris Avodo, Noémie Schmidt and Francois Mark. The cast includes Vladimir Seguin, Alice de Lencquesaing, Schmidt (“Versailles”), Francois Rollin, Aurore Déon and Manuel Severi, among others.
