NEW DELHI: Oscar-winning Jean-Jacques Annaud’s directorial ‘Notre-Dame On Fire’ is all set to release in India on June 24. The French film is based on the Notre-Dame cathedral fire. Samuel Labarthe, Jean-Paul Bordes and Mickael Chirinian are the leading actors in the project.
Set over 24 hours and against the backdrop of national ‘gilets jaunes’ unrest, the film unravels a string of chance happenings that led to the fire and how it took hundreds of firefighters to quell the inferno, whose epic flames reached 1500F and tens of meters high.
“The entire world knew the cathedral was on fire. We want to show how the whole world, from Moscow to Beijing, was watching. I had so many messages from friends in Italy, China, the US, and everywhere. It was one of those ‘where were you when’ moments,” Annaud had earlier told Deadline.
He added, “We’re making a movie that will look like a fiction film, but which is clearly based on a true story. It’s like a thriller: it’s emotional, touching. Thomas and I didn’t dare invent what happened. I have met a number of protagonists from the event. I was even at Notre Dame a few days ago. I have become friendly with some of the people who were right at the heart of the drama and the more I dig, the more surprising it becomes.”
‘Notre-Dame On Fire’ is a PVR Pictures release. One of the most widely recognized symbols of the city of Paris and France, the medieval cathedral has previously featured in a host of movies including Cary Grant-Audrey Hepburn starrer Charade, cult horror American Werewolf In Paris, the animated film The Hunchback Of Notre Dame and Oscar-nominated romance Before Sunset. (ANI)