Melanie Laurent to Star as Trailblazing Artist Rosa Bonheur in Film

The life of Rosa Bonheur, a trailblazing feminist and artist who rose to fame in 19th century France, will be played by Melanie Laurent in a sprawling period movie directed by Fabienne Berthaud. 

“Rosa Bonheur” is being produced by Carole Scotta, Barbara Letellier and Caroline Benjo at Haut et Court, the company behind “Coco Before Chanel” and “The Night of the 12th,” which won a raft of Cesar Awards last year.

The biopic reteams Haut et Court with Berthaud following her previous films, notably Diane Kruger starrer ”Lily Sometimes,” which played at Cannes’ Director’s fortnight in 2010, and 2019’s ”A Bigger World,” starring Cecile de France, which bowed at Venice. Haut et Court will also distribute “Rosa Bonheur” in France. 

The movie will shoot on location in Bonheur’s well-preserved atelier at her Château de By in Thomery, where she worked and lived for over 40 years, alongside her partner Nathalie Micas and later with Anna Klumpke, an American painter. The key crew includes Nathalie Durand, the cinematographer of Xavier Legrand’s Venice prize-winning “Custody.” 

“Fabienne has always shed light on strong women on the margins of society, aiming to give them a voice,” said Scotta and Letellier. “Bonheur has been ignored for so long, even though she was immensely famous during her time.”

Berthaud is working closely with Katherine Brault, who bought the Chateau de By in 2017 and…