Written by Dominique Lienhard
Production: OFFSHORE www.offshore.fr
FIRES IN THE DARK
Set in a small village, nestled between the sea and the mountain, the father of Alan, a young fifteen-year-old boy, has out of poverty sold himself for two years to indentured service. Alan is forced to take the place of his father and struggles to support his family. He discovers a strange ceremony: the villagers light fires under the pretence that they are boiling the salt out of water, that is then used to barter. But he soon realises the real reason behind the fires: they are used to lure ships onto the rocks where they will crash and sink. One night, such a shipwreck occurs. A divine manna?
Support: CNC “Aide avant réalisation” February 2017, Region Corse
Cast: Igor Van Dessel, Ana Girardot, Ophélie Bau, Jérémie Elkaim, Tom Rivoire, Louna Espinosa, Virgil Amadei, Manon Chammah
Festivals
Awards
- Best Costum Design, Best Make-up (Jaipur IFF)
- Best Features Film Covid19, Best Actress (Ana Girardot) (Vesuvius IFF),
- Best Feature Film (January) ( ARFF Berlin),
- Best Costum Design (Anatolia IFF),
- Best Feature Film (European Cinema Festival),
- Honorable Mention for Direction (Montreal IFF),
- Best Costum Film, Best Make-up, Best European Film, Best Children’s Film (New Dehli IFF),
- Best Feature Film, Best director, Best Actor (Igor Van Dessel), Best Actress (Ana Girardot) (Boden IFF)
- Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay (Riverrun IFF),
- Best Actress (Ana Girardot) (Buenos Aires IFF),
- Milstone Award (Best Photographie) (British Independent FF),
- Best Actor (Igor Van Dessel (Breck IFF),
- Best Film, Best Director (Phoenix),
- Best Film (Int. Thai FF),
- Best Film, Best Actor (Igor Van Dessel) (Jane Austen FF),
- Best Film (Footcandle),
- Honorable Meniton (ARFF Amsterdam),
- Best International Feature Film, Best Costum, Best Editing, Best Director, Best Film (Las Vegas International Film and Screenplay Festival),
- Best Film (Antwerp),
- Silver Award for Best Feature, Best Director, Best Actor (Igor van Dessel), Best Actress (Ana Girardot) (Sevilla Indie FF)
Trailer
Interviews
1) Video: From Ana Girardot (french) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Z96eZGDMyo
2) Video from Dominique Lienhard:
3) orange.fr
Script & Direction: Dominique Lienhard
MÜETTER
Alerted by the fact that his grandmother, whom everyone calls “Müetter” is declining, Stéphane drives to her village in the night. He finds sweet 24-year-old Marguerite, a pregnant neighbour, selflessly tending to Müetter. Upset that the local physicuan has simply prescribed morphine, Stéphane tries to help, amongst others by getting another physician and preparing a feast in Müetter’s honour. His older cousin Mathieu has mixed feelings upon seeing him. Bits of everyone’s past emerge as does a certain wisdom about what can and can’t be changed. Formally composed visuals score pleasingly, omitting what could have been depressing. Müetter’s face is never seen until shortly before the pic’s conclusion – Lisa Nesselson, www.variety-com, Feb. 20, 2006
Cast: Stanislas Merhar, Sophie Quinton, Aurélien Recoing, Agathe de La Boulaye, Andrée Meyer-Benjamin
- Feature film – 93 Minutes, France
- Script & Direction: Dominique Lienhard
- Director of Photography: Nicolas Loir www.nicolasloir.com
- Producer: Pierre-François Bernet
- Production: Butterfly Productions www.butterfly-productions.com
- Distribution : EUROZOOM www.eurozoom.fr
Produced with the support of the « Communauté Urbaine de Strasbourg (CUS) », of the « Région Alsace », « Cinécinéma » and of the « Centre National de la Cinématographie »
Award: Ehrenpreis in Filmfest sowie Preis für den besten Darsteller für Stanislas Merhar in Funchal (Madeira / Portugal – November 2006)
Festivals
Filmfestival in FRANCE : « Festival du Film de la Réunion », Dezember 2005
Filmfestival in ABROAD:
- Erevan (Armenien ; Juli 2006)
- München (Deutschland ; Juli 2006)
- Chichester (UK ; August 2006)
- « Festival des Films de Monde » Montréal (Kanada ; September 2006)
- Kopenhagen (Dänemark ; Oktober 2006)
- „Latin Film Festival „ Toronto (Kanada ; Oktober 2006)
- Funchal (Madeira /Portugal ; November 2006)
- Soleure (Schweiz ; Januar 2007)
- Saarbrücken (Deutschland ; Januar 2007)
- Rom (Italien; Oktober 2007)
Sales
TV FRANCE : CANAL + (Februar- April 2007) / CINECINEMA (März – April 2008)
DVD: CHRYSALIS FILMS (Januar 2008)
Trailer
Script & Direction: Dominique Lienhard
Le Petit Déjeuner
THE BREAKFAST
Marie is preparing a terrific breakfast for her lover. She works hard to make everything perfect. She’s left nothing to chance… absolutely nothing.
Cast: Céline Milliat-Baumgartner
- Short Film – 10 min – 2001
- Script & Direction: Dominique Lienhard
- Producer: Pierre-François Bernet
- Production: Butterfly Productions www.butterfly-productions.com
Produced with the support of the “Communauté Urbaine de Strasbourg (CUS)».
Award: « Best Drama » 11th Chichester Film Festival / Short films Competition- UK (Sept. 2002)
Festivals
Festival in France:
- « Forum du cinéma européen », Strasbourg (November 2001)
- « FIPA », Biarritz (Januar 2002)
- « Festival Court Toujours » Bron (April 2002)
- « Mamers en Mars » (März 2002)
- « Stras’courts- le court-métrage en Alsace » Strasbourg (Mai 2002)
- « Filmer en Alsace » Strasbourg (Oktober 2002)
- « Films courts de Lille » Lille (März 2003)
Festival ABROAD:
- « Mediterranen Festival of New films » Larissa – Griechenland (April 2002)
- « Message to Man » Sankt-Petersburg – Russland (Juni 2002)
- « XIIIème Festival Saar-lor-lux » Sarrebrücke – Deutschland (Juni 2002)
- « Taormina Film Festival » Taormina – Italien (July 2002)
- « 11th Chichester Film Festival » Chichester – UK (September 2002)
- « Internationales Kurzfilmfestival » München – Deutschland (Oktober 2002)
- « GRONINGUE Filmfestival », Niederlande (November 2002)
- « FIKE 2002 » Evora – Portugal (November 2002)
- « Rome Independent Film Festival » Italien (Februar 2003)
- « AgrigentoCortoFest 2003 » Italien (November 2003)
Watch the movie
TENERIFFA
A German father goes to the archives of Warsaw in order to make disappear proves of a past that he would like to forget.
- Script for a short-film, 2002.
- Script: Dominique Lienhard
- Director: Saara Saarela (Finnland)
- This short-film forms a part of the TV-film « The Europeans » 2002-2005
- “The Europeans” comprises 5 short-films, each directed by a director from a different nationality.
- The TV-Film was broadcasted on ARTE in November 2006.