European Films

Jamel Debbouze in Rachid Bouareb's Indigènes (Days of Glory), for which he won a shared Best Actor prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Photo (c): Mars Distribution.

Six years after his supporting turn as the shy grocer's aid in the French smash hit Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain (Amelie), stand-up comedian turned serious actor Jamel Debbouze reunites with director Jean-Pierre Jeunet for the new feature Micmacs à tire-larigot ("Playing Games to Your Heart's Content"), according to Allocine. Debbouze also won a shared Best Actor prize at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival for his turn as a French army soldier in the WWII drama Indigènes (Days of Glory) and recently wrapped the new Agnès Jaoui film Parlez-moi de la pluie.

Co-written by Jeunet regular Guillaume Laurant, Micmacs à tire-larigot is billed as a satirical comedy set in the world of international arms dealing. The €27 million project will have an "important cast" that is to be revealed in due course. Filming on the project is slated to start in April 2008 for a release mid 2009. The film will be Jeunet's first new project after the WWI love story Un long dimanche de fiançailles (A Very Long Engagement), that, like Amelie, starred Audrey Tautou.