Amsterdam-based creative agency We Are Pi debuted the trailer for Crois Pas Qu’on Dort (Don’t Think We’re Sleeping in English), an inspiring feature-length story of three young French athletes in the lead-up to the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics.
The 90-minute French language film, which was developed and produced by We Are Pi with the support of Nike, will premiere in mid January 2025 followed by a release in theaters at the end of January. It follows three protagonists from Paris and its suburbs: Charles-Antoine, a runner with an intellectual disability who won Gold at the Tokyo Paralympics and is competing in this year’s Paralympics; and Leyna and Maysane, French twin sisters and heirs to their Laotian-Algerian family’s very own taekwondo dynasty who are coached by their father and dream of competing in taekwondo at Paris 2024.
The athletes were followed by a film crew over the course of five years, recording how their stories, their lives and their sporting achievements unfold over time. The film combines the rawness and intimacy of their everyday lives with the audacity of their sporting dreams, with their stories culminating at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympics.
Crois Pas Qu’on Dort was created with the aim of inviting a new generation of athletes in France into sport by inspiring them with the stories of our protagonists and the transformative power that sport had on their lives.
The production began over seven years ago in 2017 with nearly two years of extensive casting sessions that involved viewing around 500 profiles of athletes. Two directors, Nick Walters and Lou Marillier, English and French, respectively, subsequently followed the selected young protagonists closely as they pursued their dreams. The crew was given unique access to the athletes’ lives, from their bedrooms to school to family holidays and international competitions.
The film was shot in 12 different countries around the world, by a 250+-strong production team that also includes a range of under-represented film-making talent. As part of the project, We Are Pi with the support of Nike launched the Crois Pas Qu’on Dort Pledge, which will specifically recruit, train and develop under-represented filmmakers, to help develop their careers while also creating a crew reflective and representative of the communities in which the film was made. This was delivered in partnership with Paris-based line producers Soldats, who scouted under-represented filmmakers and talents for the project.
“We wanted to tell a coming-of-age story told through the prism of sport that would dramatize the subjective experiences of Leyna, Maysane and Charles-Antoine in their formative years,” shared Walters and Marillier in a joint statement. “We worked collaboratively with them as they navigated a tumultuous five year period, facing challenges that will impact the rest of their lives in profound ways. Through the unfiltered access they granted us, we feel we have been able to capture something honest and specific to them that we hope can also speak to many other people.”
Nike and Pi Studios, the production arm of Amsterdam-based We Are Pi, co-produced the film with SRAB Films, Palme d’Or-winning makers of the 2019 Oscar-nominated French crime thriller Les Misérables, which also takes place in a similar milieu of the Parisian suburbs.
Alex Bennett-Grant, founder and EP of We Are Pi/Pi Studios, commented: “This is the most important story we’ve ever told of hope for a generation of outsiders and the power of sport to bring people together and overcome barriers. Over seven years from idea to release in theaters, this is also the longest project we’ve ever undertaken, leading to the most deep and trusting partnership with our incredible cast, directors and producers. Kudos also to Nike who funded the film then gave us the freedom to not only tell these true stories, but also support the launch with full entertainment force so it can move a lot of people.”
Music will play a key role in the film. It will feature an exclusive original track by French hip-hop artist Tiakola in collaboration with Para One and Sam Tiba, the composers of the film’s score. The soundtrack will also include further music from artists who resonate with French youth.
The film will have its premiere at the La Grand Rex cinema in Paris in mid January before a two-day release in French cinemas.
