Les Filles Désir is a contemporary drama directed by Prïncia Car, co-written with Léna Mardi, and starring a cast of young non-professional actors from Marseille's northern suburbs. Presented at the Cinéastes Fortnight 2025, the film tackles the dynamics of gender and desire through the eyes of a group of young adults in the middle of a Marseille summer. Housam Mohamed, Leïa Haïchour and Lou Anna Hamon play the lead roles in this feature film, produced with a collective and intimate approach.
The trailer for Les Filles Désir reveals a scorching summer in Marseille, a group of young boys in the throes of soul-searching, and an intimate tension that mounts as the story unfolds.
Les Filles Désir will be released in cinemas from July 16, 2025.
Synopsis: Marseille in the middle of summer. At the age of 20, Omar and his gang, respected neighborhood counselors, divide girls into two categories: those to be fucked and those to be married. The return of Carmen, a childhood friend and former prostitute, upsets and questions their balance, the role of each in the group, and their relationship with sex and love.
Les Filles Désir has its origins in a theater workshop led by director Prïncia Car. Working with young people from Marseille's northern suburbs, she developed a collaborative project in which the performers played an active part in the writing. The result is a fictional film nourished by authenticity, which questions representations of desire, male and female roles and social hierarchies within a close-knit group.
Through the character of Carmen, a former prostitute who has returned to her childhood neighborhood, the story questions the logic of domination and sexist stereotypes. Omar and his friends, camp counselors, find their certainties shaken by this complex female figure. The film explores how young men classify, judge and desire women, and how these social patterns can be challenged.
The film was selected for the Quinzaine des Cinéastes 2025, an independent section of the Cannes Film Festival renowned for its promotion of emerging voices. The selection highlights free narratives, such as Les Filles Désir, whose energy, spontaneity and authenticity were highlighted. With this first feature, Prïncia Car has made her mark on the French-speaking auteur cinema scene.
Les Filles Désir could be of interest to viewers attached to stories rooted in reality, social dramas and portraits of youth. Those who enjoyed Shéhérazade, Divines or L'Esquive will find the same raw energy, with a particular angle on masculinities and desire. The film follows in the footsteps of French social cinema, with its emphasis on characters, dialogue and group tensions.
Directed by Prïncia Car, Les Filles Désir is a first film selected for the Quinzaine des Cinéastes 2025. The project features young non-professional actors and is set in Marseille's northern suburbs in summer. The story looks at how a young woman upsets the expectations of a group of friends regarding their relationship with the body, sex and emotions. This social drama will be released on July 16, 2025.
This article is based on information available online; we have not yet viewed the film or series mentioned.
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