After 15 years of broadcasting where he travelled the world alone with the challenge of sleeping with strangers in different countries, Antoine de Maximy is currently preparing a fiction inspired by his adventures. He wants to have his film financed entirely through the participatory financing platform kisskissbankbank.

You are currently preparing your first feature film, what will be the subject?

A.D.M: It's a fiction and not just another documentary about my show J'irai dormir chez vous. But the film, entitled J'irai mourir dans les Carpates, is completely based on the show. I had the idea to make this film because I regularly found myself in complicated situations during the shooting. So I imagined that things would really get out of hand one day and I designed a scenario about what could have happened. It starts with a stupid car accident and an investigation will be made from the film footage that has been recovered

Have you ever been afraid during the shootings of your show?

A.D.M: Of course, it happened several times! I was scared regularly but I didn't show it because it's very bad to show that you're scared. I've had tense situations almost every five episodes, including the story in Bolivia where there was a fake cop who wanted to get me in a taxi, the punk bar in Germany where things almost got out of hand, and the shooting on the island of Saint Lucia where there are shots fired right behind me... So it's not by chance that I wrote this story and that's also why the scenario is credible

In which country will the film be shot?

A.D.M.: It's going to happen in the Carpathians. The Carpathians are a mountain range that crosses Romania, Ukraine and goes as far as Poland. But the shooting will be done in Romania. I chose the Carpathians because I work by instinct and it was obvious to me that it had to happen there because there is a mysterious side to this part of the world

Why did you choose to use participatory financing for this fiction?

A.D.M: I used participatory financing for two reasons. First because film professionals have doubts about adapting a TV show into fiction when they are convinced by the script... So to prove to them that the film can work, I told myself that participatory financing was a very good solution. The other reason is that if they don't follow me, I still shoot because with 200,000 euros, which is the level we set, I can do a basic shooting, a little like the film C'est arrivé près de chez vous. Of course, it wouldn't be as good as with all the funding, but I don't want to stop there, I've been a go-getter since forever and I'm going to continue

How can we contribute concretely to the financing of this feature film?

A.D.M.: You have to go to the kisskissbankbank website and I reserve a bonus for those who participated in the financing. On Friday, June 28, there will be a draw and you must have participated no later than Thursday, June 27 in the evening. And those who are drawn will be invited to a big party with their spouse or a friend on July 5th. Then, there will be another draw to sleep at my place and it will take place on July 7 because you must have participated in the financing by July 7 at the latest

When will the film be released if everything goes well?

A.D.M: "If all goes well, the film will be released in the second half of 2020. So we would shoot from September, we would finish in November and the editing would be done at the end of February for a release in April. But until the sum of 200 000 € is reached, this project is far from being won. For the moment we are at about 158 000 € and there are only ten days left so I really count on everyone

Do we know the casting of the film?

A.D.M: It all depends on the money! Many actors have been approached but nothing has been confirmed yet. One thing is certain, it is not me who plays the main role, it is the editor of the film who will investigate my disappearance based on the images of the shooting

To participate in the financing of the film on the kisskissbankbank website, click here

Find the entire interview by listening to the podcast of the interview here