French stars Catherine Deneuve and Catherine Frot will star in "The Midwife."
Written and directed by Martin Provost, the film will center on Claire (Frot), an extraordinarily talented midwife who receives an unexpected phone call from Beatrice (Deneuve), her father’s former mistress. Beatrice has not been in Claire’s life for three decades, but the older woman promises she has an important message to give Claire.
The project is being described as a tribute to midwives. “I also want to show the emotional link between a mother giving birth and the midwife. I know that now because I’ve spoken with many midwives — that link is very important," said Provost. The Cesar-winning director added that he wanted to explore “the measure in which the midwife transmits something to a baby that is born, something which is beyond technology.”
Provost himself was rescued by a midwife, who saved him with a transfusion of her own blood soon after he was born. The filmmaker’s previous film was "Violette," which focused on the thorny but supportive relationship between feminist writers Simone de Beauvoir and Violette Leduc.
Tanja Meissner, Memento Films’ chief of international sales & acquisitions, said of the upcoming film, “We were deeply touched by this portrait of one of the most beautiful professions in the world. The film is a tribute to life, but it is also the beautiful story of two singular and strong women. A rare and fine script with a powerful cast.”
"The Midwife" is currently in pre-production and will be introduced to buyers this week as one of the highest-profile art-house films on the market at UniFrance Rendez-VousRendez-Vous. Shooting will begin in late March in Paris, and a release date has been set for February 2017.
[via Variety]
