PALISSAGE
On a French vineyard, a Georgian migrant worker unexpectedly sees past the tension with his boss, as both are forced to confront their unspoken grief.
Synopsis
Over the course of a single day in the sun-soaked vineyards of southern France, Palissage follows Giorgi, a Georgian migrant worker quietly adjusting to the rhythm of a new land. As the hours unfold, we start to sense the unspoken tension developing between him and Franck — the vineyard’s stoic keeper — both marked by loss, though each at a different stage of its reckoning.
Moving through the rows, pruning and tying the vines, the work reflects the quiet persistence of the land itself. Revealed by the relentless sun, grief can’t help but rise to the surface and through a quiet mirroring between the two men, healing begins to emerge.
Our Location
In and around Lorgues, France
"the shed"
Director's Statement
The idea of Palissage came to me from time I spent in the French countryside — where the land, in its quiet persistence, led me back to myself when I was in need of healing. When you're anchored to what is gone, the rhythms of the land — growth, decay, return — barely register. But when you finally meet it in the present, it has a way of guiding you back to yourself.
Pruning, tying, and readying vines for new growth, uncertain of what the weather will bring, mirrors the invisible labor of grief: the unseen work of finding one's way through darkness.
Setting
Early May, as the first buds appear and the vineyard begins to wake - a season of renewal that stands in quiet contrast to Giorgi's own stillness.
Approach
A film that breathes — where gesture, texture, and stillness speaks as loud as dialogue. Endings and beginnings coexisting, as in nature.
Theme
Re-emergence and transformation. It is not about resolution, but about taking that first step of turning toward life.
Characters
Giorgi
Late 20s, male. A Georgian migrant worker finding a new home in Lorgues. An outsider who keeps to himself. His grief sits just under the surface — shaping how he sees others, including Franck.
Franck
Late 30s to early 40s, male. A British transplant managing the vineyard that once belonged to his ex-wife's family. Steady, guarded, and rooted in routine, he carries more history in the land than he lets on.
Jean-Marc
Mid 30s, male. A Frenchman from a neighboring village and one of the seasoned hands on the vineyard — quiet, reliable, and someone who still takes genuine pleasure in the work.
Jeanine
Late 20s, female. Originally from northern France but working the vineyards in the south. Has an easy warmth about her.
Paul
Early 20s, open gender. A local and the vineyard's most immature worker — playful, restless, and mostly there for a laugh while trying to figure out what they actually want from life.
Giorgi
We experience the story through his eyes. He is guarded, marked by fresh loss - quick to judge those around him so he doesn't have to let them in, though he isn't aware of this. He knows the world isn't fair, and hasn't been to him.
The passing of his sister (his soulmate in many ways) fractures the family, leaving his mother overwhelmed by a grief that borders on hysteria. Home is suffocating. With little direction and no real way to make money in Georgia, he goes to France to begin again.
A tension grows between him and his boss Franck - a man he's reluctantly drawn to. His initial resentment of Franck's ease and position shifts into something more complicated as the day unfolds.
Franck
A British transplant, very comfortable speaking French. He moved to Lorgues in his early twenties for his wife, Marie, who was born and raised in the region. Their baby died on the vineyard; Marie fled the memories, but Franck clung to the work, taking refuge in its rhythm.
He moves with the quiet authority of someone who knows every inch of the vineyard, but also someone who lives inside his own head. With the workers, he's fair, friendly, and even cheerful. Something in Giorgi quietly unsettles him — a reminder of the grief he works so hard to keep hidden.
Attached Talent
Levan Gelbakhiani
Giorgi
Magnetic Georgian actor whose raw emotional depth made him one of Europe's most compelling emerging talents. Burst onto the international scene with his electrifying debut as Merab in And Then We Danced (2019), earning Best Actor awards at Sarajevo, Valladolid, Odesa, and Sweden's Guldbagge Awards. Recently won Best Actor at Locarno Film Festival for Don't Let the Sun (Catch You Crying).
Dave Buttler
Franck
Captivating British actor and graduate of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. Has appeared in acclaimed television series including Slow Horses (Apple TV+), The Diplomat, and Black Cake. Currently starring in Arcadia by Tom Stoppard at the Old Vic. Served as lead understudy in Michael Grandage Company's Backstairs Billy, performing opposite Luke Evans and Aidan Turner.
Creative Team
Director/Writer: Paula Reumer
Dutch writer-director and actor based in NYC with an international upbringing. Graduate of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London. As an award- winning producer, Palissage marks her debut as a writer-director, exploring grief and human connection across cultural and social divides.
Producer: Gabriella Piazza
Award-winning producer and actor whose work has been showcased on the international film festival circuit. Most recent film, Tea, starring Michael Gandolfini, premiered in competition at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival as the only U.S. short film selected. Also earned her "Best Producer" award at HollyShorts 2024.
Producer: Logan Ricket
Producer and award-winning arts leader with background spanning directing, performance, and nonprofit theatre administration. Served as Company Manager and Development Director for Performance Network, Michigan's most award-winning theatre. Founding member of the LAS:sitas Movement Collaborative.
DOP: Robbert Nieuwenhuijs
Dutch Director of Photography working across narrative film and high-end commercial projects, with a strong focus on naturalistic light, physical environments, and emotionally grounded visual storytelling. He is also an experienced colorist, allowing him to guide projects seamlessly from camera through final image.
Visual Language
Dawn & Solitude
Morning Work & Community
Labor, Body & Plant
Natural Light: Day Progression
Tonal References
Summer 1993, Carla Simón
Emotion revealed through routine, environment and small behaviour shifts rather than dialogue. Loss is lived, not explained.
Petit Paysan, Hubert Charuel
Rural labor as a pressure cooker; masculinity shaped by responsibility, pride and silence.
The Rider, Chloé Zhao
Bodies carry grief and identity. Emotion expressed through physicality and restraint.
God's Own Country, Francis Lee
Rural intimacy, connection between strangers.
Call Me By Your Name, Luca Guadagnino
Food, bodies and touch as narrative tools.
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