After directing the Oscar-nominated animated film “I Lost My Body,” Jérémy Clapin now finds himself making his first live-action feature.
Clapin writes and directs the drama “Meanwhile on Earth,” which stars newcomer Megan Northam as a girl who grieves her missing astronaut brother. However, all may not be as it seems.
The official synopsis reads: “Elsa (Northam), along with her family, is struggling following the disappearance of her brother Franck, an astronaut who vanished during his first mission. While stargazing one night, Elsa is shocked to receive contact from Franck, but her joy is short-lived when she learns of the dark and troubling forces behind Franck’s reappearance, forcing her to confront the lengths she will go for the brother she once feared was gone forever.”
The film is produced by Marc du Pontavice and will be distributed by Metrograph Pictures. Rising outfit Metrograph is making a splash this year with acquisitions and as led by former A24 exec David Laub.
Clapin is also known for his two short films, “Skhizein” and “Palmipédarium,” both of which dealt with out-of-body and, at times, out-of-this-world experiences. “Meanwhile on Earth” isn’t Clapin’s first venture into the cosmos: The 2008 short “Skhizein” told the story of a man hit by a meteor whose body becomes invisible.
In 2012, Clapin directed “Palmipédarium,” which also received raves at festival screenings worldwide. The short centers on a sensitive young boy’s encounter with a strange-looking duck and a culture that emphasizes hunting as a typical rite of passage.
In 2019, Clapin debuted the French animated feature “I Lost My Body,” with voice work from Dev Patel, Alia Shawkat, and George Wendt in the English-language cast. The film was among IndieWire’s Best Movies of the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, landing at number two in the Best First Film category.
The film was based on the novel “Happy Hand” by Academy Award nominee Guillaume Laurent (“Amélie”) and also produced by “Meanwhile on Earth” collaborator du Pontavice. “I Lost My Body” won Best Indie Feature at the Annie Awards in 2020. Clapin penned the script, which takes place in a Parisian laboratory where a severed hand escapes and sets out to reconnect with its body, who is in love with a librarian. The feature premiered at Cannes Critics’ Week, with Hakim Faris, Victoire Du Bois, and Patrick d’Assumçao voicing the original French roles. The film later debuted on Netflix before becoming a Best Animated Feature Oscar nominee.
“Meanwhile on Earth” premieres September 13 in theaters. Check out the trailer below.
