eOne Takes On French Drama La Garçonne

Entertainment One (eOne) has acquired the international distribution rights for France 2’s crime drama La Garçonne, starring Laura Smet (Les Corps Impatients, Yves Saint Laurent).

Set in Paris during the “Roaring Twenties,” La Garçonne follows Louise Kerlac (Smet), who witnesses the murder of a relative committed by government agents. To investigate the murder, she assumes the identity of her twin brother Antoine (Tom Hygreck; Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, Dolmen) and enters the police force as a man.

La Garçonne is from Paris-based Mother Production and co-producer Gedesel. The deal marks eOne’s first French-language acquisition.

“It was about four years ago when I first heard about the concept for this project from the terrific team at Mother, and I was immediately fascinated by the superb mix of dynamic period detail and gripping crime story, combined with very contemporary themes about identity,” commented Noel Hedges, eOne’s executive VP of acquisitions, international distribution. “Mother always brings a fresh, exciting vibrancy to their productions and together with a unique performance from Laura, we are hugely excited to bring the series to international audiences.”

Mother Production said: “With La Garçonne, we wanted to tackle contemporary issues, with a universal and playful approach. We fell in love with our main protagonist Louise, a woman who dressed up as her twin brother in order to save her life as well as assume a role that society would not permit. Accepting a man’s job and refusing to go back to menial tasks, she frees her brother of the duties of a cop which was forced upon him by their father. We believe that a woman’s emancipation is a fight for everyone’s freedom.”