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Without contempt for class but by unleashing its blows against the race for fame, Rough Diamond reveals in one fell swoop an actress (Malou Khebizi) and a director (Agathe Riedinger). Their first feature film experience for both women. We give you three details to highlight (a little loudly) in the queue (perhaps you will be spotted by an agency scout!)
A wild casting that changes a life
© DRMalou Khebizi and Agathe Riedinger
“Looking for a girl aged 18-20 for a feature film”: this is the minimal wild casting announcement posted on Facebook to which Malou Khebizi responded, she who had never made a film in her life. However, she lands the leading role, that of Liane, a young woman who is seething while awaiting the results of the second round of a reality TV casting where she sent a video… A role, so to speak, cut out for her.
A feature film that extends a short
© Germaine Films
Rough Diamond is the extended version of J’Attends Jupiterthe 22-minute short film that Agathe Riedinger made in 2017, where Liane was played by Sarah-Megan Allouch. Note that Alexis Manenti plays in both films.
An English inspiration
© MK Diffusion
Released in 2009, Fish Tankwhere a teenage hip-hop fan struggles with her family in a poor English suburb, stands out as the obvious inspiration for the film. Director Andrea Arnold was also in competition at Cannes in 2024, like Agathe Riedinger.
Rough Diamond
Released November 20
What were some of the specific elements or themes from ‘Fish Tank’ that you wanted to incorporate into ‘Rough Diamond’?
I’m pleased to have Malou Khebizi and Agathe Riedinger with us today for this interview at world-today-news.com. Your first feature film, Rough Diamond, has recently been released and is already making waves.
Malou, can you tell us about your audition process for the film? You responded to a minimal casting call on Facebook and ended up landing the lead role. What was that experience like for you, starting out as an aspiring actress with no previous film experience?
Malou: It was an incredible experience! I remember being so excited when I saw the casting call on Facebook and decided to give it a shot. I never imagined it would lead to this. The audition process was intense, but also very rewarding. I had to send in a video of myself reciting some lines, and then I was called back for an in-person audition. Agathe (the director) really saw something in me and gave me the chance to play this incredible character. It definitely changed my life.
Agathe, can you tell us about the transition from short film to feature length for Rough Diamond? What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?
Agathe: The transition from short to feature was quite an interesting process. We decided to extend the short film J’Attends Jupiter that I directed in 2017 into a feature film because we felt like there was more story to tell about these characters. One of the main challenges was maintaining the coherence of the narrative while also expanding it. We had some great collaborators who helped us to develop the script and manage the production, but ultimately, it was about keeping true to the heart of the story and the characters.
The article also mentions that Rough Diamond was inspired by Andrea Arnold’s Fish Tank. Can you expand on that inspiration and how it influenced your film?
Agathe: We were definitely inspired by Fish Tank, particularly the gritty and realistic portrayal of working-class life in England. However, we wanted to bring our own perspective and experiences to the story. We’re both from France, and we wanted to show a similar reality from our point of view. Fish Tank was a great reference for us in terms of the style and tone of the film, but we also drew inspiration
