BEYOND THE SEA

Par Hippolyte Leibovici

Hippolyte LEIBOVICI - director:
Hippolyte Leibovici is a Franco-Belgian film director. His relationship with cinema began at the age of thirteen when he would often hand out coffee on film sets in Paris. Gradually abandoning his schooling, his experiments with his camera would become the roots of his approach to filmmaking. He started making short films with minimal budgets, exploring both his technical skills and his desire to direct. At the age of eighteen, he began studying film directing at Belgian film school INSAS, where he met the team with whom he now works. He had his first success with the documentary MOTHER’S, which won close to forty festival awards and the very first Magritte for best short documentary. In 2023, he directed Beyond the Sea, a musical comedy that joins the arena of his previous film: the backstage of a cabaret. He is currently developing his first feature film.

Nominated for Les Magritte du Cinéma 2024

Awards & Festivals France:
. 36th Vébron International Film Festival (July 2023)
. International film Festival of Nancy (August-September 2023) – Jury Award
. Festival Que Du Feu / FFJL (September 2023)
. Vues d’en face, Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival of Grenoble (Sept-Oct 2023)
. 19th Independent International Film Festival of Berck-sur-Mer, CINEMONDES (October 2023)
. 9th Shorts Film Festival of La Côte Bleue (October 2023)
. 31rst Le Court en Dit Long Festival (October 2023)
. Festival Phare – Ciné-Danse (October 2023)
. Short Films Festival of Dinan (November 2023)
. 29th LGBTQI+ Film Festival of Paris Chéries Chéris (November 2023)
. 12th Eurydice Short Film Festival of Fécamp (November 2023)
. Auch Shortfilm Festival (November 2023) – Best music Award
. Festival Désir… Désirs, Tours (January 2024)
. Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival – Canal+ Program (France, February 2024)

International Festivals & Awards: 
. Edera Film Festival (Italy, August 2023) – Astoria Celebrating Life Award
. 11th Ariano International Film Festival (Italy, August 2023)
. Castel Lagopesole International Short Film Festival (Italy, September 2023)
. Vancouver International Film Festival (USA, Sept-Oct 2023)
. Taiwan International Queer Film Festival (Taiwan, October 2023)
. 38th MIX COPENHAGEN Film Festival (Denmark, October 2023)
. 20th Sedicicorto Forlì International Film Festival (Italy, October 2023)
. Thess International Shorts (Greece, October 2023)
. Festival Internacional de Cortometrajes de Vila-Seca (Spain, October 2023)
. 38th International French Speaking Film Festival of Namur (Belgium, October 2023) – Jury Award, Audience Award, RTBF-La Trois Award
. 6th Yerevan International Short Film Festival (Armenia, October 2023)
. AFI Fest 2023 (USA, October 2023)
. Iris Prize Cardiff’s International LGBTQ+ Short Film Prize (UK, October 2023)
. 18th Tel Aviv International LGBT Film Festival (Israel, October 2023)
. Everybody’s Perfect – Geneva International Queer Film Festival (Switzerland, October 2023)
. Tri-Cities International Film Festival (USA, October 2023) – Best drama Award
. Edmonton Short Film Festival (Canada, October 2023) – Best international long short Award
. International Festival of Local Television Golden Beggar (Slovakia, October 2023) – Best actor Award & Best camera Award
. Kinenova International Film Festival (Macedonia, October 2023)
. Pink Screen (Belgium, November 2023)
. International Queer Film Festival Playa del Carmen (Mexico, November 2023) – Best music Award, Best actor Award
. Aesthetica Short Film Festival (UK, November 2023)
. Butoni Fest: International Film Festival of Valencia (Spain, November 2023) – Best soundtrack Award, Best characterization Award, Best actor Award
. Kurzfilmfestival Kufstein (Austria, November 2023) – Audience Award
. International Queer Film Festival Merlinka (Serbia, November 2023)
. Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival (USA, November 2023) – Jury Award – 2nd Place
. 22nd Reggio Film Festival (Italy, November 2023)
. International Short film Festival Vitafest (Chile, November 2023)
. 26th International Festival LGBT Film of Extremadura (Spain, November 2023)
. Ouaga Côté Court, International Shortfilm Festival of Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso, November 2023)
. 25th Soria International Film Fest (Spain, November 2023)
. 15th Filmfest Düsseldorf (Germany, November 2023)
. Short of the Year (Spain, November 2023)
. 7th CityBlue Films Festival (Spain, November 2023)
. Winchester Film Festival (UK, November 2023)
. 13th Cortodino Film Festival (Italy, November 2023)
. 10th International Usak Short Film Festival (Turkey, November 2023)
. International Contest of Euroshorts 2023 (Poland, Nov-Dec. 2023)
. Athens International Digital Film Festival (Greece, December 2023) - ​Best shortfilm Award
. Cambria Film Festival (USA, February 2024)
. Melbourne Short Film Festival (Australia, February 2024) – Best shortfilm Award
. SANFICI – Santander Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente (Colombia, February 2024)
. Pegaso Film Festival (Italy, February 2024) - Best foreign film Award, Best director Award, Best screenplay Award, Best music Award, Best actor Award (Jean-Michel Volk)
. Short. Sweet. Film Fest. (USA, March 2024) - Best drama Award
. Crossing the Screen (UK, March 2024)
. Festival Internacional de cine de Piélagos (Spain, March 2024)
. 39th Love International Film Festival de Mons (Belgium, March 2024)
. Amsterdam LGBTQ+ Film Festival (Holland, March 2024)
. Capital City Film Festival (USA, April 2024)
. New International Cinema / Naples (Italy, June 2024)

TV:
. Canal+

Synopsis: Lady Casca, a drag queen in her sixties, is about to go on stage at her cabaret for the last time. The next day, retirement by the sea awaits her. But her son Thomas, whom she has not seen for a long time, interrupts the festivities. He has sad news to tell her.

Musical Comedy - 25' - 2K - 2,39 - Color - Belgium/France 2023

Cast: Jean-Michel Vovk, Thomas Mustin, Constance Gay
Direction: Hippolyte Leibovici
Screenplay: Hippolyte Leibovici, Flora Krivine
Production: Laurent Denis, Jonathan Hazan
Cinematgraphy: Julien De Keukeleire
Set Design: Katleen Abraham
Costume Design: Jackie Tadéoni
Sound: Victor Crestani 
Editing: Simon Bart
Sound Editing: Jean-Charles Kraimps
Sound Mix: Sylvain Réty
Music: Romain Zante

A Cookies Films and Les Films du Cygne coproduction
With the partnership of Canal+,
With the support of Centre du Cinéma et de l’Audiovisuel de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles,
With the support of Tax shelter du gouvernement fédéral de Belgique,
With the support of Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée, of Sacem and of la Maison du Film