Wide Management and Memento Film International servicing and marketing staffers Lucas Tothe and Sylvain Lagrillère are branching into production with the creation of Punchline Cinema.

Their first project is debut director Loic Barché’s short film Ou es-tu Robert Johnson (Where are you Robert Johnson), inspired by the life of a legendary 1930s jazz guitarist who claimed he had acquired his musical gifts through a pact with the devil.

“The idea is to make this first short with Loic and then move on to a feature together,” says Tothe, who currently works in Wide’s servicing and marketing department.

They are also in the process of acquiring rights to a feature-length, documentary on stage director Robert Carsen, entitled The Devil is in the Details: Robert Carsen Directs Candide. The latest work from director Peter Friedman (Death by Design, Silverlake Life), it is currently in post-production.

“Our aim is to build an eclectic slate featuring shorts, features and documentary,” adds Tothe.

Tothe and Lagrillère, who are in their mid-20s, first met in 2006 while studying film at Lycée de l’image et Son in Angouleme.

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