Strange that opening with a funeral can end in a comedy, but this film, called ‘Merlich Merlich’ is, as its title suggests, ‘not serious, not serious’.
Prize Winning Short Film Shows at Colcoa
Premiering at the Urban Film Festival of Paris, the short film Merlich Merlich, directed by Hannil Ghilas and produced by Cypher Films and {h’Art et balises won the Grand Prize of 15,000 Euros, offered by Bien ou Bien productions and the CNC to go toward the next short. Merlich Merlich went on to play at COLCOA in L.A. COLCOA, the largest French Film Festival outside of France, otherwise known as City of Lights, City of Angels showed this 19 minute short about a family in Marseille who gathers to mourn the patriarch. It was shown in conjunction with one of my favorite Cannes films, A Tale of Love and Desire, also about a youth from the ‘hood (Le Banlieu) in Paris…Merlich, Merlich is a social comedy about kids in the “North Quarter” of Marseille, i.e., the ghetto.
It is a very sweet, funny and insightful film about generational gaps, gaffs and traditions clashing with modern morals. The actors are charming as they take us into their world.
Telerama, France’s most popular cultural magazine wrote up the 18-year-old filmmaker Hannil Ghilas. The film comes out of a workshop set up by the French filmmaker Pascal Tessaud (Brooklyn) with 20 kids from the North Quarter in Marseille
Today as France’s presidential elections host fascist, anti-isalmic racist candidates, we can use a little lightness of touch, showing sweet kids doing naughty things, getting away with it and standing together as life presents its challenges and opportunities. This short is a expression of resistance and of respect to Islamic and African descendents in France. And it is merlich, merlich…
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