The film tells the story of a Frenchman called Sam, accused of smuggling counterfeit money from Bulgaria to France. In order to avoid severe punishment, he agrees to become an undercover agent in a Bulgarian underground human trafficking network. As Sam gradually falls in love with a young Romany prostitute called Elka they will decide to flee together.
“Face Down is a thriller and a drama pointing at human trafficking, but also at social problems like crime, corruption and poverty in my country,” Kalev told the Bulgarian media. The script is based on a true story he learned about in 2012. He wrote the script together with the César-nominated French writer Emmanuel Courcol at the same time conducting the casting interviews.
The film stars Melvil Poupaud. A 16 year-old Bulgarian actress Seher Nebieva was chosen from among over 1,200 girls to play Elka. Ninety percent of the actors are non-professionals. The eight-week shooting took place in the winter of 2014 and was split between Marseille and Sofia.
The film is a coproduction between France’s Le Pacte, Belgium’s Left Field Ventures and Bulgaria’s Waterfront Film. The project was supported by the Bulgarian National Film Center, French CNC, Belgian FWB and Eurimages. Le Pacte is also handling the sales.
Production Information:
Waterfront Film
39, Bacho Kiro
Sofia - 1202 Bulgaria
Tel:+359 2 985 23 00
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.waterfrontfilm.net
Credits:
Director: Kamen Kalev
Screenwriters: Kamen Kalev, Emmanuel Courcol
DoP: Yulian Atanasov
Music:Raf Keunen, Kaloyan Dimitrov
Cast: Melvil Poupaud, Seher Nebieva
