The Rays and the Shadows
The Rays and the Shadows is a historical feature film directed by Xavier Giannoli, partly shot in Vervins, in the Thiérache region, in a truly unique location: the printing house of Le Démocrate de l’Aisne, the last working lead-type rotary press in Europe.
The film explores a period of the Second World War concerning French collaboration, where the production of information and the role of journalism take center stage. To recreate this tension, the production sought an authentic setting capable of bringing immediate visual truth to the screen.
It was during location scouting that the team discovered this remarkable printing house. Antique machines still in operation, craftsmen working with the same gestures week after week, a dense, almost organic atmosphere.
Type of filming: feature film
Genre: drama, historical
Release: 2026
Directed by: Xavier Giannoli
Main cast: Jean Dujardin, Nastya Golubeva, August Diehl
Screenplay: Xavier Giannoli, Jacques Fieschi
Production: Curiosa Films, Waiting For Cinema, Gaumont. Distribution: Gaumont
Shooting location in Thiérache: Le démocrate de l’Aisne
A word on the shoot
Producer Olivier Delbosc highlights the importance of this discovery:
“Filming in a real location, with machines that truly work, changes everything. It gives the film immediate credibility. We’re not reconstructing — we’re capturing reality. The setting is no longer just a backdrop: it shapes the writing, enriches the staging and brings an almost organic density to the story.”
