The Desert Child

Gilles
de Maistre

Gilles de Maistre was born on May 8th,1960. He graduated in philosophy in 1983 and in 1985 from the Center of Journalists, where he trained as a journalist and image reporter. He directed news reports and documentaries for television. Wars, famine, guerrillas, homeless people condition, violence or natural disasters : he travelled all around the world with his camera to denounce, alert and inform. In 1990, his documentary series “I am 12 and I am in the war”, produced by Canal+ and France 3, won the Albert-London Audiovisual Prize, the Best Documentary Prize at the International Emmy Awards, the 7 d'Or for Best Grand Reportage and about ten other prizes around the world. In 1994, he directed his first feature film “Killer Kid”, which won the Audience Award and the Cannes Junior Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2004, he founded his own production company named Mai Juin Productions, after he sold his former one, Tetra Media. He started producing and the same year he directed his third feature film “Le Premier Cri”, which was released in 2007 and nominated a César award for best documentary film. In 2017, his feature-length documentary about Alain Ducasse was released in theatres and a year after "Mia and the White Lion", a fiction feature film, co-produced by Galatée Films and Outside films, was also released. It reached 1.5 million admissions in France and 5 million worldwide, placing it first in the export market, ahead of Taxi 5 and Asterix ! This film required 3 years of shooting without trickery, and was built on the real relationship developed "in life" between a young actress and a lion who grew up together. With Mai Juin Production, Gilles de Maistre is currently preparing his fifth feature film “The Wolf and the Lion”, in the Canadian Far North. It follows the same methodology as “Mia and the White Lion”, creating a real relationship between two wild animals and a young American actress. In coproduction with Echo Studio, Gilles de Maistre is finishing his shooting of “Forward”, feature-length documentary that portrays 7 militant children who show unwavering courage to change their conditions and defend the planet. Is is scheduled for release by Disney in September 2019.

Fourteen-year-old Sun publishes a book based on her grandfather’s stories. It tells of a boy named Hadar who was lost in a desert storm as a child and grew up among ostriches. After the book’s success, Sun sets out across the Sahara and begins to suspect that the incredible story may be true. Her adventurous journey, filled with discoveries and encounters, gradually reveals a truth that goes beyond the limits of imagination.