LILA SAYS |

Genre: DRAMA / COMEDY / ROMANCE

Release Dates: JULY 1, 2005 / N.Y. and L.A.

Trailers:

Official Websites: French release website

Taglines:

A film by Ziad Doueiri.

He has never talked to anyone about “it”.
She has never found anyone she wants to talk about “it” with.
All she thinks about is him; and that she must talk about “it” with him if she wants his love.
She is 16; he’s 19.

Production Company: Huit et Demi / UK Film Council

Synopsis:
Sixteen year old Lila (Vahina Giocante) is a gorgeous blonde, who has recently moved into a predominantly Arab neighborhood in France. One day she challenges 19 year old Chimo (Mohammed Khouas) to look up her skirt, beginning a game of sexual discovery that turns into a pointed look at tolerance and self-hatred.

Crew: Ziad Doueiri (director and co-writer); Mark Lawrence and Joelle Touma (co-writers); Chimo (wrote novel); John Battsek, Bernadette Carranza, Luigi Ferrara Santamaria and Fabienne Vonier (co-producers); Patricia Biancamano and Bruno Levy (associate producers); Marina Gefter (producer); Andrew Ruhemann and Paul Trijbits (executive producers)

Cast: Vahina Giocante as Lila, Mohammed Khouas as Chimo, Karim Ben Haddou as Mouloud, Edmonde Franchi as La tante, Lotfi Chakri as Bakary, Hamid Dkhissi as Grand Jo, Carmen Lebbos as La mère de Chimo, Stéphanie Fatout as Claire Soulier and Ghandi Assad as Sammy

Studio: Samuel Goldwyn Films

Other Info:

Film Fetish trivia:
Also known as Lila dit ça.

Lila Says is the follow-up to director Ziad Doueiri’s acclaimed West Beirut.

Legend has it that in December 1985, Oliver Orban, head of Editions Plan Publishing Company, received the novel through a lawyer in the form of two Clairefontaine notebooks, handwritten and signed by a certain “Chimo”. At the top of the margin was written Lila Says, in capital letters. Lots of names ciculated, but it was never known who was hiding behind “Chimo”.

Ziad Doueiri was the camera operator on Quentin Tarantino’s Resevoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown.

Of Algerian descent, Mohammed Khouas performs in theater. This is his first film role.

Vahina Giocante convincingly plays a 16 year old Lila. However, she is actually 23 years old, when the film is shot.

Producer Marina Gefter was also a producer on Brian De Palma’s 2002 film Femme Fatale, and an associate producer on The Godfather Part lll.