Description
Best Feature Nominee Sao Paulo International Film Festival
Official Selection
Haifa International Film Festival
Santa Barbara International Film Festival
San Diego Jewish Film Festival
Festival of Tolerance
Synopsis
Victor “Young” Perez , tells the astonishing, harrowing and incredible true story of a Tunisian Jewish boxer, who became the World Flyweight Champion in 1931 and 1932. His romance with the French-Italian actress Mireille Balin increased his fame. But because of his Jewish heritage, Perez was arrested in Paris on September 21, 1943 and transported to Auschwitz. Whilst there he was forced to participate in boxing matches for the amusement of the Nazis.
Director
Jacques Ouaniche is a French scriptwriter, producer, director and writer. In 2003, after a number of early projects, his collaboration with director Abdellatif Kéchiche resulted in “Games of Love and Chance” (2004), a film that ultimately won 15 international awards, including France’s César awards for Best Film, Best Director, Best Writing and Most Promising Actress. The film featured Sarah Forestier in her breakthrough role and also effectively launched the career of Kéchiche, who most recently won the 2013 Palme d’Or in Cannes for “Blue Is the Warmest Colour”.
Among his other productions are “3 petites filles” (2004), a film directed by Jean Loup Hubert with Gérard Jugnot and Adriana Karembeu, focusing on the story of a young girl portrayed by Sabrina Ouazani who flees a forced marriage in Algeria. “All Night Bodega” (2004) is a multiple award-winning film directed by Félix Olivier about a young girl growing up hard and fast in New York’s Spanish Harlem.
Of late, Ouaniche has been focusing largely on feature films and recently co-written the screenplay for “Victor Young Perez,” a film he’s been developing for over seven years.
