For the third edition of its Prime Video Presents event, the Amazon streaming platform unveiled its many upcoming and emerging projects during a conference organized this Tuesday, April 12, 2022, in Paris. On stage, Thomas Dubois, creative director of Amazon Originals France for Amazon Studios, reveals that 11 original creations will be presented in 2022, 8 in 2021 and 2 in 2020.
The platform continues to invest in French products and wants to give priority “The power of stories“, Create”An expression platform for fun with a logic of diversity and inclusion“. The director also explains that up to fifteen projects are underway for next year.
After his first film Mignonnes, director Maïmouna Doucouré will offer his new film, Hawa, in 2022. The story of a 15-year-old girl who decides to face the imminent death of her grandmother “Adopt a person you admire most: one of the most powerful women in the world. ” This project, among other things, marks the first steps of the singer Isleti in the film.
Take the humorous path of the comedy Classic by Nathanael Gued and Adrien Pique-Gauthier by Ahmed Silas. The theme of the film will be the world of football and will return to the controversy between the two biggest French clubs: the Marseille Olympique and Paris Saint-Germain. Along with Ahmed Silas we will find Eli Semun, Jean-Baptiste Munier or even Denis Podalides. The project is expected in 2022.
A major project, Prime Video also signs Frank Gastambid’s new film, Medellin, History.A young YouTuber, fascinated by Pablo Escobar, who decides to make his dream come true by going to Medellin in the footsteps of a drug addict.“. The co-writer and director, who also directed the series Validé, specifies that the film will establish itself as one of the most ambitious action comedies ever to be made in France. The release is scheduled for 2023.
Following the success of the Bronx on Netflix, Olivier Marshall selects the premiere video for his new detective thriller. The film, titled Overdose, stars Sophia Essay, Nassim Lies and Asad Buab. In 2022.
Nicolas Bedos is partnering with Prime Video for his first series: Alphonse. A six-episode comedy based on the original idea of Jean Dujardin and Nicolas Bedos. The Oscar-winning actor will play the lead role, a man who is tasked with fulfilling a woman’s wishes. The cast also includes Charlotte Gainsburg, Nicole Garcia and Pierre Ardit. The release is expected in 2023.
Rapper Booba is also associated as a co-author of Amazon Original’s new series, Ourika, created and written by Clement Godard, Clement Gourne and Vincent L’Anton. The seven-episode series tells the story of a confrontation between a drug dealer and a younger generation of police officers during the 2005 Paris riots. It will start in 2023.
Another project, Killer Coaster, is a curious mix between a police comedy and a slasher. The program is signed by Nicola Lange and Thomas Mansui, creators of the Derby Girl series. Consisting of eight 30-minute episodes, this fiction tells us “The story of Sandrine Laplace, a contract worker who thinks he is a CIA agent and decides to investigate a mysterious accident at a local market.. ”
Finally, after Forte, comedian Mela Bedia returns to Prime Video with Miskina. She is a co-author, co-director and embodies the first role of this project, which focuses on a 30-year-old young woman.Without an apartment, without a job, without a boy, but with strong myopiaWho will have to wake up to make a choice.
Never show that to anyone, following the success of singer Orelsan’s documentary, the platform has revealed that new episodes of the series will be announced in 2022.
Also, another project, The Pogmentary, a documentary about the figure of football Paul Pogba. The first images were released at the conference. Estimated release in 2022.
HelloCine: How do you choose the projects that will be sent to you? What are you absolutely looking for in your movies and TV series?
Thomas Dubois: We get a lot of things at different stages. It can be scripts, square, sometimes just three lines. For example, in Maïmouna Doucouré’s film, he offered me three lines and nothing more. Then I decided to meet him. In series, it can only be arches, treats.
A creative team is working with me now. We all gather, read, and ask ourselves a few questions: Do these projects fit into our editorial strategy? Can we support them in the best way? Finally, we need to know if we have the right vision with the creators. We are there to develop all these projects, we are accompanying them in writing, we are financing this whole part.
Do you get a lot of projects from female directors?
We need to support directors even more because we do not have them. This is not obvious. There are initiatives that are being done. We have a partnership with the Culture and Diversity Foundation. With 50% of female students in this program, we fund their scholarships to enable them to attend the most prestigious schools. There is a lot of work to be done on women, people from different backgrounds.
For some projects, we are moving to speed, especially in terms of ambition.
You offer 11 original contents for 2022, compared to 8 last year. How about the evolution of your strategy?
The investment is bigger. There are genres that we are really excited about that are emerging faster. We will release four films this year, two compared to last year. The flow has been well established in 2021, but we continue.
TV series, we start with two. Cedric Clapish’s Salade Grecque has sadly been delayed until 2023 due to a pandemic. For some projects, we are moving to speed, especially in terms of ambition. This is the case with Frank Gastambid’s film.
Olivier Marshall’s film The Bronx was a huge success on Netflix. You will shoot his new feature film Overdose. How did you trust him?
Initially, he went through the Gaumont movie crews we often work with, especially on the Totems series. I was introduced to Olivier Marshall’s film, the treatment was excellent. I met the director and told each other that we were going to do it together, only on condition that we do better in the future.
Any information on a possible 2nd season for Totems?
Season 2 is in development, should be written. You need to know how to recreate the event around this story. Russia played an important role in this plot. We are talking about war, atomic bombs. There are some things to think about in the news.
We are in the middle of the international launch of the first season. Espionage is a real genre, hopefully it will work elsewhere. You just have to find the right cursor to write 2 seasons.
There is a real plural on Amazon Prime Video. Is it possible to get a place for daily newspapers, Plus belle la vie?
This is not on the agenda. Everything is possible on one platform. Even if a brand can exist, can it be broadcast daily? I do not think so. We did it with Love Island, it worked, but I think there are other expectations. We need to be more creative about how we put it online. Everyday I do not know, but something is repeated, why not. future will show.
What will be your ambition for the coming years?
Keep the surprise, be where you are not expected and be able to establish yourself in the long run with the people we have already worked with. When we get to know each other, the first time is wonderful, the second time even better, we can go even further.
Interview by Thomas Desrosch, Paris, 12 April 2022.
Source: allocine
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
