Passion and pride take center stage in the upcoming documentary Don’t Think We’re Sleeping. A true underdog story, the film follows three working-class athletes as they prepare for glory at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. diverse You can share the trailer (below).
Directed by Nick Walters and Lou Marillier, the film follows three athletes over five years and their countless achievements, including Charles Antoine, a runner with an intellectual disability who won gold at the Tokyo Paralympics and will compete in this year’s Paralympics, and Lina and Maysan, twin sisters and heirs to their Laotian-Algerian family’s taekwondo dynasty.
“We wanted to tell a coming-of-age story through the lens of sports,” say directors Nick Walters and Lou Marillier. “We worked collaboratively with Lina, Mayssan and Charles-Antoine as they navigated a tumultuous five-year period, facing challenges that would impact the rest of their lives in profound ways. With the unfiltered access they gave us, we feel we were able to capture something that was honest and specific to them and hopefully speaks to many others as well.”
'Croi ba kwon dort'
Developed and produced by Pi Studios and French film giant SRAB Films, the film explores many of the working-class suburbs featured in Ladj Ly’s award-winning “Les Misérables,” which was also produced by SRAB Films. The project will feature new music from local hip-hop icon Tiakola.
With the support of Nike, Pi Studios also introduced the “Crois Pas Qu’on Dort” pledge, dedicated to recruiting, training and supporting underrepresented filmmakers and diversifying film crews.
“This is the most important story we’ve ever told,” said Alex Bennett Grant, founder of Pi Studios. “It’s also the longest project we’ve ever done, resulting in a deep and trusted partnership with our incredible cast, directors and producers. We’re also grateful to Nike for funding the film and then giving us the freedom to not only tell these true stories, but also to support the film’s release in full entertainment power so it can move so many people.”
The film is scheduled to premiere in January 2025, and is scheduled for a limited release.
