“What intrigued us about the project was the absurdity of the situation,” says co-producer Koji Nelissen on the film’s domestic metamorphosis. “Within a suppressed family whose father is dominant, what would happen if he suddenly loses his status so dramatically?” “What is always fascinating on this type of production is that you really get a different view on the world,” Nelissen continues.

“We all know European cinema, we all know American cinema, but this is really something else, it is a project from Egypt. And it does not happen a lot that projects from Egypt reach the European mainland… Omar had a bold idea to present a project like this. He uses the film as a mirror for society within the Arab countries, that is what fascinated us.”

“And I think he delivered beyond expectations,” Nelissen further adds. “Of course, we really liked the premise of the film when we read the script but you are not entirely sure if the film will talk the same cinematographic language. And it did, especially considering also the tiny budget. They really did it. They did an excellent job.”

The film was supported at development and production stages by the Hubert Bals Fund (as part of IFFR), as well as at post-production phase, courtesy of HBF’s association with the Netherlands Film Fund and the Netherlands Post-production Alliance. It won the the Dutch Post Production Award at IFFR, last January.

Feathers also picked up the EP2C post-production award at Torino Film Lab in 2017, which granted access to post-production services at the Filmmore facilities in The Netherlands, which further propelled the film towards Dutch co-pro status. The film subsequently became a co-production between Still Moving (France), Film Clinic (Egypt), Keplerfilm (The Netherlands) and Heretic (Greece). Heretic is also handling world sales on the film.

“It was a huge visual effects project,” says producer Nelissen, referencing the work needed both on location and, more importantly, on the chicken. “Working on a chicken does not always go naturally so you have to work your way around it, but they [Filmmore] were really great with helping to create the best image for this film.” Other Dutch elements included the foley work undertaken by Posta Sound studio in the Netherlands, as well as part of the mix which was completed in The Netherlands.

Keplerfilm was founded in 2016 by Nelissen and long-time friend Derk-Jan Warrink, both of whom had previously amassed much production experience working at some of the Netherlands’ foremost production houses. On the Kepler website, the pair outline their offer to the Dutch and international industry, and beyond that to audiences, stressing how they “maintain a strong focus on developing and nurturing talent,” their business being “to tell stories; whether funny or sad, always deeply human and with a heart, and aiming to intellectually entertain the audience.”

“At Kepler we try to create films with a balance between entertainment and emotional engagement,” Nelissen further underlines. “We aim to make them deeply human so you can really connect with the characters you see. We try to always reach the widest possible number of viewers. It can be a niche film, but still within that niche. We really go for full audience exposure.”

For more information on Keplerfilm and Feathers, click here.

For more information on Cannes Film Festival, click here.
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Feathers is supported by the Netherlands Film Fund.