"I wanted to associate the concept of a series with this local legend": Seynois Choukri Ben Meriem talks about his soap opera dedicated to the Deux-Frères

What was your background before tackling the legend of the Two Brothers?

I grew up in La Seyne where I did all my schooling, before law school in Toulon. I also took theater classes with the Seyne association Miroirs, then at the Tisot center, and I went to perfect my skills in Paris. At the same time, I participated in short films as an actor, I made an appearance in the film Coco by Gad Elmaleh. Then I decided to make my own short film, entitled Alike, in 2014 in Montreal where I had contacts. I also made a fake ad for the Ford Mustang, shot on the Corniche Merveilleuse, a short film (Storytelling), as well as a series of interviews with young directors (in video and podcast), just to show what I can do and build a small network. I lived in London for several years and, since 2023, I have returned to settle in La Seyne where I took a part-time job (administrative) while pursuing my artistic projects.

How did the one linked to the legend of the Two Brothers come about?

After watching an American series (Outer Banks) about a treasure hunt, I had the idea of ​​associating the concept with the legend of the Two Brothers, to make a fiction, while distorting elements of reality. For example, making believe that Michel Pacha could have found a treasure that would have constituted part of his fortune... Which would make others want to go in search of a stash still buried near Les Sablettes...

What legend did you remember about the Two Brothers?

I have listed five of them, which will give rise to five episodes of the series, starting with the most popular, that of the mermaid rescued by two fishermen, two brothers, who fell in love with her before she succumbed and the two men were transformed into rocks by Poseidon, furious at their quarrel. The first 45-minute episode is finished; four more are in preparation and each will have as its backdrop one of the legends with, as a common thread, a treasure hunt. All this constitutes the project "La Seyne Legends", filmed largely in English (subtitled on screen) because the treasure hunters come from all over the world...

When did the filming take place?

It took place between June and October 2024 with around twenty actors and thirty extras, mainly from La Seyne. We filmed in La Verne, Saint-Elme, Les Sablettes, in the Janas forest, in the gardens of Fort Balaguier…. I would also like to thank the people of La Seyne who opened private spaces for us (restaurants, apartments, etc.) as well as the CSMS diving club which, with its resources, allowed us to shoot underwater footage on the wreck of the Arroyo. And I must say that we have exceptional sets here. La Seyne has a lot of potential; it's a chance to live and film there!

When will the film be released?

I made a request to the town hall and to TPM (who made things easier for me for the shoot) to be able to project it on a big screen on the Sablettes beach with, in the background… the Deux-Frères! I'm waiting for the answers, I hope it will be possible before the end of the summer. Afterwards, the film will be able to be shown in theaters. Applications have been submitted to local cinemas.

How do you see the future?

For the first episode, we had a budget of 15,000 to 17,000 euros. Now, we're looking for funding to shoot the next four episodes. I hope the first one will serve as a calling card for me to find partners.

In the meantime, you are presenting an exhibition this weekend...

Yes, we'll be showing photos from the shoot, props, costumes... The idea is to introduce the public to the world of the project, and to make them want to attend the screening. The opening will take place this Friday at 6 p.m., in the studio of painter and sculptor Jacques Servières (38 Cours Louis-Blanc). The exhibition will be open Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. I'll be there with my entire team.