Gaumont’s “Aline, The Voice of Love,” a hotly anticipated film freely inspired by the life of Celine Dion, has already lured key distributors around the world ahead of its theatrical bow in November.
“Aline, The Voice of Love” is directed by actor-turned-filmmaker Valerie Lemercier, a self-proclaimed fan of Dion who also headlines the movie and has described it as a tribute to the Quebec-born singer.
Gaumont has pre-sold the movie to Italy (Lucky Red), Germany/Austria (Weltkino), Spain (A Contracorriente), Portugal (Nos), Canada (Maison 4/3), Australia (Rialto), Japan (Cetera), Hong Kong (Pineapple), Singapore (Shaw), Poland (Galapagos), CIS/Baltics (Megogo Distribution), Bulgaria (Buglarian Film Vision), Ex Yugoslavia (MCF), Czech Republic (AQS), Hungary (Vertigo) and Benelux (Cineart), Switzerland (Impuls). A U.S. deal is in negotiations.
The movie is produced by Edouard Weil at Paris-based Rectangle Productions (“Climax”), with Laurent Zeitoun (“The Intouchables,” “Ballerina”) and Caramel Films (“Heartbreaker”). Gaumont is co-producing and will release the film in theaters across France on Nov. 11. “Aline” is one of the most anticipated French movies of 2020 and Gaumont will give it a wide release, in spite of a nightly curfew that went into effect Oct. 17 in nine cities, including Paris. The trailer for the film dropped earlier this month and went viral, drawing millions of views in just a few days.
Lemercier plays Aline, a young woman who grows up in a large Canadian family in the 1960s. Discovered as a major talent in her teens, she becomes a global sensation. Supported by her family and guided by her lover, Aline will create an extraordinary destiny for herself.
The pic’s topnotch key crew includes Catherine Leterrier (“Coco Before Chanel,” “From the Land of the Moon”), production designer Emmanuelle Duplay (“120 BPM”) and choreographer Eric Martin (Cirque du Soleil). Budgeted in the €20-million ($23.5 million) range, the ambitious movie shot in France, as well as Spain, Canada and Las Vegas.
Lemercier previously directed several successful films including “Palais Royal!” and “50 Is the New 30.” Lemercier has also had a successful career doing one-woman shows at big venues in France.