‘Jesus and the others’ cast and crew announced

CAIRO – 14 May 2019: Paris-based production company "So Freakantastik" is currently developing "Jesus and the Others" movie.

The movie is a long feature film about the never-told-before story of the Holy Family's Flight to Egypt as Joseph, Mary and her cousin Salome are running away from Judea with new-born Jesus to save him from the persecution of King Herod.

Written by late legendary Egyptian Cineaste Fayez Ghalialong withFadiGhali, the film is based on Fayez's exhaustive research in the early scriptures of the Eastern Coptic Church, from the Synaxaria to the writings of the Patriarchs, in addition to the works of historians.

It is also based on his research in the age-old Egyptian folkloric tales told on the sites visited by the Holy Family, now places of pilgrimage and worship for their relics.

Directed by multi-award winner Egyptian filmmaker Hisham Abdel Khalek ("A Footnote in Ballet History", Fespaco 2017), "Jesus and the Others" is an international co-production in English produced by Hisham Abdel Khalek and Olivier Delesse (So Freakantastik, France), Jean-Luc Van Damme (Happy Moon Production, Belgium), FadiGhali (FGM Production, Egypt), in association with Italian and British producers to be announced later.

The film will be shot in Ouarzazate, Morocco and in Puglia, Italy. The film’s international cast includes: Denise Tantucci (Italy: "La Nostra Strada", "Ben Hur") as Virgin Mary;HiamAbbass (France: "Blade Runner 2049", "Munich", "Succession") as Salome; Peter Coyote (USA: "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial") as Simon;Khaled Naga (Egypt: "Vikings", "Tyrant") as Damon; Mario de la Rosa (Spain: "La Casa de Papel") as Haggai;Gilles Marini (France: "Sex and the City") as Minlawos; BushraRoza (Egypt: "Cairo 678", "Alexandria New York") as Marion;Cesar Dumboy (France: "The Walk", "Outlander") as Gotham.

That is in addition to Jay Abdo (US/Syria: "A Hologram for the King", "Queen of the Desert") as Samuel;Alessandro Cremona (Italy: "Spectre", "Mary Magdalene") as Hezikieh;Giovanni Cirfiera (Italy: "The Family", "American Crime Story", "Mary Magdalene") as Maximus Blandus;KamilLemieszewski (Poland: "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword") as King Herod andMhairiCalvey (UK: "Brave heart", "3 Lives") as Hannah.

The Co-Starring cast also includes: MassiFurlan (Italy: "The Dark Knight Rises"); Vernon Dobtcheff (France: "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade", "The Spy Who Loved Me"); Greg Kriek (South Africa: "Maze Runner: The Death Cure"); Jason Vendryes (USA: "Too Close to Home", "Blindspot", "Star"); Jared Prudoff-Smith (USA: "The Red Lotus"); Adam Stone (Egypt: "War Machine"," Kung Fu Yoga");SimonaMilinyte (Lithuania: "The Blackstone", "Hollywood Rooftop", "NCIS");LizeFeryn (Belgium: "A Real Vermeer", "Ibiza"); as well as from Lebanon: Nicolas MouawadandMouradMakram, LatifaFahmy, LoaiOmran, Amr El Kady, AngyWegdan, and MarwiKeshk, ReemSabouny, Sherif Hafez, Ahmad Al Naggar, Mohamed Shaheen, Mohamed El Sebaeey and Marwan Mosallam from Egypt.

Moreover, LizeFeryn from Belgium;Andrea Scarduzio, Federico Marignetti, Riccardo Leonelli, and Santo Tripodi from Italy;Lionel Cecilio and Benjamin Garnier from France, Marco Perrettafrom Canada/USA;AleksanderD'Avignonfrom US;DenzilKeim and Billy Twomey from UK;Lucas Alves from Brazil;Andrei Claude and Nathan Spiteri from Malta and Vincent Kerschbaum from Australia will all participate in the movie.

The multi-awarded international technical crew includes: César-Winner cinematographer Tetsuo Nagata (France/Japan: La Vie en Rose), two-times Academy-Award nominee makeup and special makeup effects designer Vittorio Sodano (Italy: Apocalypto, Il Divo), production designer Davide De Stefano (Italy: Voice from the Stone, The Nativity Story), hair and wigs designer Alberto Moccia (Italy: The Passion of the Christ, Troy, Casanova) and costume designer Reemel Adl (Egypt: Clash). The producers will be in Cannes at the Film Market on May 15-21, 2019 to meet sales agents, distributors and co-producers. The rest of the cast will be announced later.