Emma Benestan, a French director known for telling bold and original stories, made the fiction movie ANIMALE (2024). She and Julie Debiton wrote the script together. The movie is about, a Young woman Nejma, played by Oulaya Amamra, works on a ranch in the Camargue region of southern France. She works hard to win a bullfighting competition in her area. But strange things start to happen after she is attacked at a party. Things start to change in Nejma, and a dangerous bull starts to terrorize the area, killing young men.
This thriller changes things up in the Western-genre by putting a strong woman at the center of a tradition that is usually dominated by men. Animale is set to come out in French theaters on November 27, 2024. Damien Rebattel, Vivien Rodriguez, Claude Chaballier, Elies-Morgan Admi-Bensellam and Pierre Roux are also in the cast.
Now let’s talk about the main attraction: the places where ANIMALE (2024) was filmed.
WHERE WAS ANIMALE (2024) FILMED?
The movie Animale was shot in the Camargue in the south of France in the fall of September 20, 2023. The production ended in November 2023, as confirmed by a touching Instagram post by lead actress Oulaya Amamra thanking the crew and director Emma Benestan.
CAMARGUE
Camargue is an important part of Animale; it’s not just a background. This one-of-a-kind area is one of the wildest places in France. It lies between the Mediterranean Sea and the delta of the Rhône River. It is known all over the world for its wildlife reserves, wild bulls—and famous white horses. The story is deeply connected to the local tradition of bull-racing, which is called “course camarguaise.” The movie shows both the spectacle and the deep cultural meaning of the tradition.
FILMING IN ARLES AND SAINTES-MARIES-DE-LA-MER
The crew also filmed scenes in and around Arles, a Roman city on the edge of the Camargue with a lot of history. Arles was a real place for Animale’s rural and competitive scenes—because it has old arenas and is close to bull farms. Many sequences were filmed in the open marshlands and ranches that dot the region, allowing cinematographer Ruben Impens (Titane, The Eight Mountains) to capture the harsh beauty of the environment.
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, the symbolic capital of the Camargue, was another key location. This seaside town on the Mediterranean added a spiritual and cultural layer to the setting of the movie. The town really helped the story feel like it had real-life roots because it was known for its—pilgrimage festivals and traditional ranching culture.
BEHIND THE SCENES:
Cast members shared bits and pieces of their experiences on social media while the movie was being filmed. In an Instagram post from November 2023, Oulaya Amamra thanked the crew and praised Emma Benestan for leading the ambitious production. In 2024, she wrote another post about how the movie made her feel— this time calling it a “insane” journey.
Emma Benestan, a French-Algerian director—chose the Western genre on purpose to show a woman’s story in a setting that is usually associated with men. She brought a lot of authenticity and energy to the production because she had strong ties to southern France and loved the culture of bull racing.
OFFICIAL TRAILER
Stay tuned to Netfilming.com for more updates, filming news, and behind-the-scenes.
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