Henderson, NV -- (ReleaseWire) -- 01/06/2017 --After watching the young Belgian director's short film at the 2016, Cannes Film Festival, Los Angeles/Las Vegas based Global Genesis Group, a production and distribution company, signed Kerknawi to direct a Hollywood remake of his short film The Last Front.
The Last Front takes place in Belgium during World War 1. After a German squad ravages a village, a peaceful farmer and a father of two tries to escape the German's bloodlust by fleeing to the French border with the survivors. Before they reach safety, the father must make a fateful decision to fight a suicidal battle to save his family.
That was the pitch of the Belgian newcomer Julien Kerknawi. Two years after shooting his Flemish short film with Koen De Graeve, Global Genesis Group recognized the filmmakers' talent at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival and the young filmmaker from Belgium was asked if he was interested in directing an epic war drama set in Belgium, based on the concept he had laid out with screenwriter Shauni De Gussem.
Charles Morris Jr., VP of Development & Acquisitions of Global Genesis Group, stated, "We were excited to find a young talent like Julien, and equally enthusiastic to help bring his vision of World War I to life. It is painted on an epic scale, a historic picture of how the rape of Belgium by the German army brought England and then America into the Great War, but also our rewrite will focus on the intimate story of the farmer and his family, and how the horrors and traumas of war, can easily intrude on anyone. Global Genesis Group's latest productions; Escape Room, starring Skeet Ulrich, and the animated Troll: A Tale of A Tail, directed by Kevin Munroe, will be released in theaters in the USA in 2017. We are delighted to add The Last Front into our production and distribution slate for 2017."
Director Kerknawi claimed that "I'm intensely impressed with the amount of professionalism and care that Global Genesis Group are putting into this project. They have years of filmmaking experience, and they are employing their strong sense of story, character development and international appeal, while taking no shortcuts when it comes to details."
The young director from Ghent is currently in Hollywood overseeing the development of the film and is being well surrounded by his Hollywood partners and his sister Virginie Hayet who will be on the European production side of the film. "Nothing beats the satisfying feeling of working on a dream project with your family," Julien stated.
The result will be a truly epic and intimate drama combining a Hollywood production company and the talent and resources of Belgium and the European Union, set in the beautiful villages of Belgium at the time of an unseen and horrifying part of World War 1.
The Last Front's development budget is financed with a generous cash injection by Telenet and Global Genesis Group.
About Global Genesis Group
Global Genesis Group's core business is the production and distribution of Television IP's, Feature Films and documentaries as well as creating and developing its own original IP's to generate global branding. Global Genesis Group is a full-service Production, Distribution and IP management company.