Charlène Favier’s feature debut has found a home. Kino Lorber acquired U.S. rights to “Slalom,” a press release announced. The coming-of-age drama about an elite athlete premiered as part of Cannes’ 2020 official selection.
Co-written by Favier, “Slalom” tells the story of 15-year-old Lyz (Noée Abita), “a high school student in the French Alps, who has been accepted to a highly selective ski club that trains future professional athletes. Fred (Jérémie Renier), an ex-champion turned coach, takes a chance on training her as a new recruit, and slowly makes Lyz his shining star. As she racks up success under his influence, Lyz has to endure the physical and emotional pressure of elite training and figure out how to escape the mental and physical grip of power and abuse from a predatory coach.”
“This is a very personal film as I grew up in Val-d’Isère and I skied competitively. But Lyz’s story is not autobiographical in the true sense of the word,” Favier explains in “Slalom’s” press notes. “I did indeed experience someone having a hold over me, but in another sporting context. I preferred to use fiction because it allowed me to take a step back from my own story. Around me, I heard many stories of young girls who had experienced what I talk about in the film. I have received many accounts.”
Favier describes “Slalom” as “a very personal film.” She recalls, “I had never really allowed myself to tell this story and it was vital for me to talk about it. It required a climate of trust, with creation set in motion, for me to express what I felt deep inside. I needed to film what shaped the woman I am today. Once I began to understand what I wanted to relate, I couldn’t let go of the subject. It was an absolute necessity for me to make this film.”
Kino Lorber President and CEO Richard Lorber said, “’Slalom’ may thrill with hyper ski action but it wins the cinematic race for its dizzying skid into innocence abused. The true cost of a teen girl’s mastery of icy slopes rises to heart pulsing metaphorical heights in director Charlène Favier’s astonishing debut film. We can’t wait to share our discovery with audiences across America.”
“Slalom” is slated for release in spring, followed by a VOD release on Kino Now and home video.
