– André Dussollier, Valérie Donzelli and Kyan Khojandi star in a story about an explosive family life, produced by Atelier de Production and distributed by UGC
Actor André Dussollier (© Patrick Swirc) and actress-director Valérie Donzelli (© 2025 Fabrizio de Gennaro for Cineuropa – fadege.it, @fadege.it)
Since 27 February, Clément Michel has been filming Claude, his third feature film following The Stroller Plan [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (2013) et Noël Joyeux (2023). The director (nominated for a César in 2011 for Best Short Film for Une pute et un poussin) has assembled a star-studded cast, led by André Dussollier (César winner for Best Actor in 1998 and Best Supporting Actor in 1993 and 2002, recently seen in Family Prize, and soon to appear in Jupiter), Valérie Donzelli (nominated for a César for Best Actress for Declaration of War [+see also:
trailer
film profile], whose most recent film as a director, At Work [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Valérie Donzelli
film profile], won the Best Screenplay award at Venice, and who will also star in Michel Gondry’s next film) and Kyan Khojandi (The Speech [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], See You Up There [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]). Also joining the cast are Marie-Julie Baup (who was brilliant in the role of Edith Piaf in Monsieur Aznavour [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] and won the 2023 Molière Award for Best Actress), Albane Beauge, Léon Durieux, Clémentine Célarié, Anthony Paliotti, Florence Muller and Maud Le Guenedal.
Written by the director, the screenplay centres on Claude, aged 76. As charming as he is irresponsible, he is kicked out of the house by his (fourth) wife. He then finds himself in the shared custody of his children, whom he has avoided all his life. This explosive and unlikely living arrangement might, against all odds, mend the rifts in a family he had let slip away…
Claude is produced by Mathieu and Thomas Verhaeghe for Atelier de Production, and is co-produced by France 3 Cinéma and UGC (who has acquired distribution rights in France – with a release on 2 December 2026 – and will handle international sales). Pre-bought by Canal+, Ciné+ OCS and France Télévisions, the film also benefits from the support of Grand Est region, the Eurométropole de Strasbourg and the city of Strasbourg where the five weeks of shooting will take place until 8 April, with French-Italian Fabrizio Fontemaggi as director of photography.
As a reminder, Atelier de Production has recently produced Alter Ego by Nicolas Charlet and Bruno Lavaine (currently in theatres) and De la Comédie-Française by Bertrand Usclat and Martin Darondeau (which opened the Rendez-vous d’Unifrance à Paris in January, and will be released in French theatres on 22 July). They also have several films currently in post-production; Les fraises by Leïla Marrakchi (co-produced with Lumen Films), Tout va super by Patrick Cassir (with a release in France on 27 May) and Roma elastica by Bertrand Mandico (read the news – with Marion Cotillard as the lead).
(Translated from French)
