2023 • France • Directed by Timothée Hochet and Lucas Pastor

Deftly blending elements of Mark Duplass’ Creep with Man Bites Dog and mismatched buddy movies such as The Cable Guy, Stéphane is a darkly comic thriller set in the world of amateur film-making that is as bleakly funny as it is disturbingly twisted. When Tim (Bastien Garcia), an ambitious and aspiring filmmaker out making his latest short film, encounters the eccentric Stéphane (played by the film's co-director, Lucas Pastor), it seems like a match made in heaven. Stéphane claims to be an experienced special effect supervisor and stuntman and, after impressing Tim with his home-made pyrotechnics, the two embark on a journey to Stéphane’s private island to set about making a World War II epic, along with Stephane’s friend, a strange and mostly-mute refugee actress named Bianca (Eva Gregorieff). But as their filmmaking odyssey continues, it soon becomes apparent that neither men may be what they claim, and tensions quickly escalate... Part found-footage, part sinister thriller and part self-reflexive black comedy, Stéphane is punk filmmaking at its finest and “a real rollercoaster ride” (Eye for Film) that will “keep you squirming on the edge of your seat” (SplatterPunkReviews), right until the final, chilling, post-credits scene.