CHANTAL AKERMAN

Project: What Happens Next'
Scr: Chantal Akerman
Estimated budget: $11m (Eu8m)

Born in Belgium and now based in Paris, Chantal Akerman is one of the world's leading female directors.

Her credits span more than 30 years of film-making and include 1975's Dielman, 23 Quai Du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, and, more recently, 2000's The Captive, 2005's Tomorrow We Move, and the Cesar-nominated documentary La-Bas in 2006.

An Akerman film is identifiable by its deconstructive style, pessimistic humour and keen observations on identity, sexuality and relationships.

Her next project fits this pattern. Set in Paris and Shanghai, What Happens Next' is the story of a love triangle between Helene, a man 20 years younger than her called Daniel, and his girlfriend Sophie, who he goes on to marry.

'I want to make a film about the world today with allusions to the world of the recent past, as well as to a world of intimate feeling, and show how the three are intertwined,' Akerman explains.

The project is being produced by Paris-based Movie Partners in Movie Film, the new production company headed by Marie-Pierre Macia, the former director of Cannes' Directors' Fortnight, and Juliette Lepoutre. The company's aim is to nurture new international talent.

Akerman is also an accomplished writer, video artist and documentary film-maker, and has exhibited her work at the Venice Biennale and the Kassel Documenta.