EXCLUSIVE: French-Anglo director J.K. Amalou’s off-beat Cannes and Saint Tropez-set crime comedy Queen Of Diamonds has begun principal photography on the French Riviera.
Popular French comedy actress Frédérique Bel, whose credits include Serial (Bad) Weddings and Ducobu Président!, plays a woman who settles in Cannes after the murder of her British husband in London.
Out of the blue, she receives an unexpected visit from two British police detectives, played by the U.K.’s Leo Gregory and Andy Beckwith. They say they are investigating the theft of the precious gem The Queen of Diamonds, which might have been handled by her deceased husband.
Not convinced they are really policemen, she evades them and a cat-and-mouse caper ensues across the French Riviera, with her path crossing that of a veteran diamond trader, played by Christophe Lambert. Gabriella Wright also features in the cast as his wife.
French-Anglo filmmaker Amalou also wrote the screenplay and produces the film under the banner of Moon Eye Pictures with Romeo Cirone at Romeo Drive Productions.
The comedic work marks a change in direction for Amalou after a string of hard-hitting thrillers including Assassin, starring Danny Dyer and Martin and Gary Kemp, and hostage drama Deviation.
Principal photography began on the French Riviera on October 10.
