Henrick Vartanian
Brand new pictures of actor Tahar Rahim in “Black Gold” (“L’Or Noir”).
Warner Bros and Universal are sharing distribution duties on this anticipated film by Tunisian entrepreneur-producer’s Tarak Ben Ammar.
Directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud (“Seven Years In Tibet,” and “The Lover”), the film began production in Tunisia on October 18, 2010. The French filmmaker may direct the $55 million picture, but Black Gold is considered a seriously groundbreaking film. That is because it is fully bankrolled by Arab financers, with a subject matter about and from the Arab world.
The film is an adaptation of the Hans Reusch novel The Great Thirst, Black Gold and stars Tahar Rahim (A Prophet), Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes), Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire), and Antonio Banderas.
The Plot: as oil gets discovered in the region in Arabia of 1930s, a rivalry between two Emirs is followed by the rise of a young leader who will unite the various tribes of what is known today as the kingdom. The film is slated for a Christmas, 2011 release.
Ben Ammar most recently co-produced Rachid Bouchareb’s Outside the Law.
Read the Deadline.com story about the film: CLICK HERE
For more TAHAR RAHIM on Brave New Hollywood, CLICK HERE