Oscar-Nominated Producer du Pontavice Talks About His Timely New Movie

\Xilam Animation Founder & President Marc du Pontavice is bringing this new animated feature The Migrant to the Cartoon Movie event in France next week. This follow-up to his Oscar-nominated 2019 movie I Lost My Body is directed by Kan Muftic (an artist who has worked on features such as Guardians of the Galaxy, Mowgli and the this year’s Zemeckis-directed Pinocchio) with a screenplay by Vivienne Harvey (Harlots). 


The powerful storyline follows a young pregnant Syrian woman who embarks on a harrowing journey to Europe after her husband is killed. We had a chance to catch up with du Pontavice about his new movie, which is being slated for a 2024 release:


Animation Magazine: Can you tell us a bit about how you got involved with this project?


Marc du Pontavice: Kan Muftic, who created the story of The Migrant and is also directing the project, contacted me right after he discovered our first feature, I Lost My Body, as he felt I could be the right producer for this project.


What attracted you to this powerful story?


At that time, The Migrant was just a five-page synopsis, but the strength of the vision was undeniably there. I loved the uniqueness of using a horror angle to approach a story of immigration. I always feel that describing a collective tragedy through traditional fiction can be quite risky — so finding a strong but sensitive approach will be vital to its success.


How did you come up with the visual style for this project?


It was very much Kan who created the initial art direction for the characters and then the Xilam team came on board to bring animated depth to Kan’s world.  Kan and I very quickly agreed that a final rendering in pictorial 2D would make this story most visually impactful, as well as bearable for audiences.


What would you say is the most challenging aspect of this movie?


The scope of this story goes far beyond the fate of a fictional character. We can’t pretend that the viewer is going to fictionally experience such a harsh reality, as we have a responsibility towards those who suffer the dangerous conditions of migration – which also feels particularly crucial and pertinent given current events in the world.


So it’s all about eliciting a response from the audience and helping them understand the horror of the devastating migration conditions and the courage it takes to endure them. This brings with it a three-fold challenge: Firstly, on a cinematography level — how do we film 10 refugees on a lost boat for half the movie length? Secondly, there’s a political question to address about how so many people look up to Europe even when it closes its doors to refugees and migrants. And finally, there’s a metaphysical challenge as this journey explores the extreme battle between life and death — between the forces of destruction and the indestructible spark of hope that makes us all human.


Mary J. Blige to executive produce Lifetime movie


What's the 411, you ask? Well, Mary J. Blige is officially confirmed to executive produce a film based on her 1992 breakthrough hit "Real Love."


A Lifetime coming-of-age drama, Real Love will follow Kendra, a studious teen who sets off on her own for the first time to attend college in upstate New York. But when she meets her film class partner Ben, her plans are thrown for a loop. Despite disapproving parents, financial hardships, and competition to become top students, Kendra and Ben fall for one another and "ultimately learn the meaning of real love," per the movie's press release.


The film will be written by Sonja Warfield and Rachel Ingram. Ashaunna Ayars and Nicole Jackson will executive produce alongside Blige for her production banner, Blue Butterfly, with Jordan and John Davis also executive producing (it's a family affair!). Most important, however, the movie will feature additional music from Blige's catalog.


"I wrote 'Real Love' based on my real-life experiences and my fans connected to it in a deeply personal way," Blige said in a statement. "It's exciting to now use this song and my music to create a new story by way of film, continuing to build on a pillar of the foundation of my production company, Blue Butterfly. My passions for acting and music now include developing diverse stories with music as the backdrop."


Blige is no stranger to Lifetime. She executive produced the 2020 original movie The Clark Sisters: The First Ladies of Gospel with Queen Latifah and Missy Elliott, and headlined the 2013 Coretta Scott King and Betty Shabazz biopic Betty & Coretta opposite Angela Bassett.


Most recently, Blige executive produced her 2021 Amazon Studios documentary, Mary J. Blige's My Life.


"Mary is one of those phenomenal talents that can do it all," Tanya Lopez, EVP of scripted content at Lifetime, said of reteaming with the Grammy Award–winning diva — and walking disco ball — in a statement. "We are so thrilled to be able to partner with her again on this new opportunity to bring her music to life in the form of a movie that we know audiences will love."


Kiersey Clemons Joins the Cast of ‘The Young Wife’


Deadline is reporting that the star of the upcoming The Flash movie, Kiersey Clemons, has been cast as the lead in The Young Wife, a new feature from Tayarisha Poe (Selah and the Spades).


The new film is said to be a new take on “the wedding film.” The Young Wife follows Clemons' character on her “non-wedding day” as she grapples “with the meaning of love and commitment in the face of an uncertain and tumultuous world.”


Clemons is most recently known for playing DC Comics character Iris West in Zach Snyder’s Justice League and will be reprising the character later this year in Andy Muschietti’s The Flash. Clemons also recently appeared in the horror film Antebellum, the live-action remake of Disney's Lady and the Tramp, and the recent comedy-drama Am I Ok?


Some of the cast joining Clemons in The Young Wife include Emmy and Tony winner Judith Light (The Politician), Michaela Watkins (The Dropout), Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary), Kelly Marie Tran (Raya and the Last Dragon), Connor Paolo (Gossip Girl), Jon Rudnitsky (Saturday Night Live) and in his acting debut Grammy-winning artist Leon Bridges.


The Young Wife has been written by Poe, who will also serve as the director. This project will be Poe’s second feature film, after also directing and writing Selah and the Spades, which was released on Prime Video in 2019. Poe’s other directing experience includes episodes of Two Sentence Horror Stories, Dave, and the 2019 reboot of The Twilight Zone.


The Young Wife will be produced by Anne Carey, executive produced by Amy Nauiokas, and co-produced by Rebecca Choi for Archer Gray with Ashley Fox serving as an executive producer for FilmNation. On behalf of FilmNation, Fox gave the following statement about the film:


From our first conversation with Tayarisha, we were blown away by her romantic, vibrant vision for this film. The incredible talent that’s come together on both sides of the camera is a testament to her vision for the movie, a wildly original wedding story for a new generation.

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