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Synopsis

The Good People is a short coming-of-age film, about Jackson Jones, an aspiring young American writer, who is spending the summer in a coastal village in the south of France on a quest to find inspiration for his writing. His stay takes an unanticipated turn towards the idyllic when he meets a French girl in a café, Jeanne Stajman. The girl leads Jackson back to her house and introduces him to her friends, the good people. Intrigued by Jeanne and her friends, Jackson has found the characters for his story. 

The film is led by an almost completely female-crew from all over Europe (France, The Netherlands and Catalonia to name a few). Heavily inspired by the French New Wave, the film goes back to a time in cinema that celebrated the beauty in the everyday.
 

Project History

Simone came with the idea almost a year ago, drawing from her own experiences as a young woman. Having met Chloe at university, she approached her with the story and they started writing the script together. Soon after, Ivonne came on board as a producer and they started fully developing the film.

Director's Statement

The period from 18 to 24 is a fascinating time. The age where you are no longer a teenager but not yet an adult either. The time when you can still run away from any responsibilities and figure out who you are. The Good People reflects this feeling for me. That feeling of absolute freedom. of endless summer days where all you do is read books, drink wine and swim in bright blue seas. The Good People reflects the contradictions of being young too. The desire to express yourself and fight against what is expected of you. It is a celebration of first loves and chance encounters that turn into friendships. Of meeting that group of people who will change your life forever. It is a story about a summer which is, no matter how much time passes, impossible to forget.

The story came to life out of the desire to bottle all of those feelings up to create a film that makes you feel like you are right back there, in the heat, with sand between your toes, looking out over the sea.

VISUALS

CREW

Chloe van der Klaauw - Director

Having had a passion for filmmaking from a young age, Chloe moved to London from The Netherlands to study Film Studies at Queen Mary University. Here, she realised a career as a director and writer was what she dreamed of doing, and so she started making several short films as well as directing for the stage. When Simone proposed the idea of The Good People to her, she immediately wanted to be a part of the project. Now almost a year later, she is super excited to start shooting in June.

Simone Hazanavicius - Writer and Jeanne

Inspired by her own life, Simone came with the idea of the story a year ago, writing what would be the first pages of The Good People. Together with Chloe, she finished the script. Having always had a passion for drama, Simone now studies Film and Drama at Queen Mary University. Having starred in numerous short films, she is now excited to bring a story of her own to life.

Ivonne Jofre - Producer

From Catalonia, Ivonne moved to London at 25 to pursue a career in film. Finishing her degree at Queen Mary University with first class honours, she now works on several different projects, including short films, and a curated film season in collaboration with the Centre of Catalan Studies. Through a former lecturer at the university, she heard about the project, coming on board soon after as a creative producer.

CAST

Miles Molan is Jackson:

British actor Miles Molan plays the lead character of Jackson. He has been acting from a young age and is currently applying to drama schools in the UK. Of the film, he says: ' Everyone has their own personal love story. This is one I found to be intrinsically truthful and so am very excited to be able to represent even one part of it. When exploring Jackson I realised that he has a sense of naivety that everyone can relate to. 

I was so excited to be invited to take part in a project driven by a female crew, a much-needed breath of fresh air. I can’t wait to bring Jackson to life and his story to the screen.'

Vincent Moisy is Charles

Vincent is a second-year student at Drama Centre and just as his character, fluent in both English and French. Of the project, he says: 'The relaxed, almost careless quality to the script and characters is what drew me to the project. The ability to portray the complexity of life within its seemingly mundane facade is not something that is readily explored in modern cinema. It feels like a more honest exploration of youth and fragility, under the guise of the “coming of age” genre, making it feel familiar yet new and ambitious. It’s an honour to be a part of the project and to be able to tell this story. 



Charles is (on the surface) a more matured and collected version of his counterparts and friends. What interested me about him is the subtlety of the complexities he possesses and how he manipulates his understanding of other characters, but never with any malicious intent. I can’t wait to dig deeper into this character and bring him to life.'

Frankie Wallach is Michelle

Born in Paris, Frankie started studying film at Kings College in London aged 17. Frustrated with the theoretical approach of the course, she moved back to Paris to start acting again. Besides acting, she also directs films and is currently working on her second documentary. Of the film, she says: 'When I read the script it reminded me of the nouvelle vague. I loved the energy of the character, and when I realised I would be working with a whole team of young Frenchies, I was thrilled to be part of the project.  At the time, Simone and Chloe were still looking for Louis so I proposed my best friend Hamza and he got the role.'

Hamza Meziani is Louis

Hamza has been acting from a young age, having starred in several feature films. Of the film, he says: 'I look forward to being a part of Simone and Chloe's short movie because the story is an extension of my real life as a young man. "The Good People" is about youth, friendship, love and experimenting and the characters Louis and Michelle are connected with a special link. These feelings and experiences are exactly what I share with Frankie: we are close friends on stage as in life. We already shared several acting experiences together and it's a very exciting moment..'

Lucie Langois is Julie

Lucie was born and raised in Paris. She has been acting from a very young age and is currently studying at l'Ecole du Jeu in Paris. Her role as Julie will be her first time acting in front of a camera. Of the film, she says: "I was charmed by the project the second I heard about the first drafts and ideas of what would become The Good People’s atmosphere, as its tones and colours could already be felt, a sharp and witty humour with this Mediterranean warmth at the background. The reading of the script confirmed this first impression, and I adored this so French group of friends, detestable and touching for the exact same reasons: young adults ridiculously sure to live and think in a unique way, an arrogance most of us can smile of and acknowledge as our own. "

Pablo Cabel - Simon

From Paris, Pablo has been acting in short films as a child before moving on to the stage. He has been part of multiple theatre companies in France and decided to quit his studies to fully focus on his acting career. Of The Good People, he says: " I first learned about "The Good People" from Lucie. When she described me the pitch, I was very enthusiastic and quickly decided to audition. Being part of the Good People cast seemed like a wonderful opportunity to work with people around my age that share the same passion. Besides, the fact that most of the cast and crew was English only made it more exciting! And to be honest, the idea to play in Spain with such professional and passionate people was very engaging. When I discovered the script, I was really impressed by how accurate the description of the holidays' young people is. It was vivid, funny and unpredictable. I was also very glad to see the care brought to the supporting roles, all have a clear identity.  I am glad to be part of such a great project and can't wait to finally be on the shooting with everyone."

 

Photography . by Audrey Krako