Film Movement will give “A Nice Jewish Boy” a home – several, in fact, as the New York-based distributor has picked up North American rights to Noé Debré’s bittersweet comedy with plans for both festival and theatrical plays later this year.
Charades’ Hélène Espeisse brokered the deal with Film Movement president Michael Rosenberg.
Written and directed by “Dheepan” and “Stillwater” screenwriter Noé Debré, “A Nice Jewish Boy” follows Bellisha (Michael Zindel, in his leading man debut) – an unflappable 27-year-old naïf who shares a subsidized apartment with his ailing mother, Giselle (acclaimed actor and filmmaker Agnès Jaoui, “Le Gout des Autres”). The pair also happen to be their working-class community’s last remaining Jews – a source of heartache, comedy, and wider questions of belonging.
The freewheeling film drew inspiration from the works of Francois Truffaut and Charlie Chaplin, Debré told PvNew, engaging in equal parts with poignant and absurdist subject matters while following a daydreaming lead who can’t be knocked down.
“[I wanted to explore] tough themes with a kind of lightness and irreverence,” says Debré. “The characters’ preoccupations aren’t at all commensurate with the events they’re going through, and that’s delightful, heartwarming.”
“When the immensely talented Noé – a writer, producer and Sundance-nominated short film director – decided to tackle his first narrative feature, we knew it was going to be special,” says Film Movement’s Michael Rosenberg. “This film, focusing on the Jewish experience but reminding us of our common humanity, couldn’t be more timely and relevant, and we’re excited to bring it to North American audiences in 2024.”
