Gaumont’s Thriller ‘Night Call’ Sells Nearly Worldwide as it Opens in French Theaters (EXCLUSIVE)

“Night Call,” a French thriller directed by Michiel Blanchart and set amid Black Lives Matter protests in Belgium, has been sold nearly worldwide by Gaumont which releases the film today in France.

Previously acquired by Magnet Releasing for North American distribution, “Night Call” follows a young locksmith who gets way more than he bargained for after responding to an emergency call that puts him in the crosshairs of a ruthless mob boss.

It marks the feature debut of Blanchart whose live-action short “You’re Dead Hélène” was shortlisted for the 94th Oscars and is now being adapted into an English-language feature produced by Sam Raimi and TriStar Pictures.

U.K. (Vertigo), Spain (A Contracorriente), Italy (102 Distribution), Scandinavia (Nonstop), South Korea (Mediasoft), Latin America (California Filmes), Portugal (Cinemundo), Germany, Austria, German speaking Luxembourg and Switzerland, Poland (Galapagos), India (Pictureworks) and New Caledonia (Trident Import Export).

The movie played on opening night of the Nouvelles Vagues Festival in June in Biarritz, where it won the Audience Award.

Blanchart penned the script with the collaboration of Gilles Marchand (“The Night of the 12”). The story revolves around Mady (Jonathan Feltre) – a student by day, locksmith by night– who receives an emergency call from Claire to open a lock. But the door the young woman wants to open isn’t hers, and the bag of cash she runs away with isn’t hers either. It belongs to Yannick (Romain Duris), a sinister crime boss who blames Mady and will stop at nothing to retrieve his stolen goods. In a city shaken by protests, Mady has only one night to prove his innocence and save himself.

Gaumont’s Alexis Cassanet has described the film as a gripping thriller in the vein of Fred Cavayé’s “Point Blank.”

“Night Call” was produced by Boucan (“Viva Riva,” “A Wedding”) and Quad (“The Intouchables,” “The Death of Stalin”). Producers are Michael Goldberg, Boris Van Gils, Margaux Marciano and Nicolas Duval Adassovsky. Gaumont is a co-producer on the film.