Directed by Akihiro Hata, who co-writes the screenplay with Jérémie Dubois, Grand Ciel is a dramatic thriller led by Damien Bonnard, Samir Guesmi, and Mouna Soualem. Marketed as a family-friendly film, it is set to hit French theaters on January 21, 2026. The film belongs to the realm of contemporary social cinema, while also incorporating a sensory and almost fantastical atmosphere, largely thanks to its primary setting: a sprawling urban construction site captured at night.
Vincent is part of a night shift crew working on the construction site of Grand Ciel, a futuristic new district taking shape. Amidst this temporary landscape of raw concrete, modular units, and labyrinthine basements, the workers cross paths without always knowing each other, bound by shifted hours and challenging working conditions.
When one of their colleagues suddenly vanishes without a trace, Vincent and his team quickly suspect that their superiors might be covering up a fatal accident. Doubt begins to take hold, shaking the fragile unity within the group. The worry deepens when a second worker disappears, fueling the suspicion of a system where some lives seem to be erased without repercussions.
As the informal investigation unfolds, the film delves into a more disturbing atmosphere. Grand Ciel explores the fading of individual identities, the fear of downward mobility, and loneliness in the workplace—transforming the construction site into a space that’s as much psychological as physical, where social reality takes on an unsettling hue.
The film's starting point is rooted in a real-life 사건. In 2015, Mamadou Traoré, an undocumented temporary worker, died on the job without anyone noticing his absence right away; a tragedy uncovered by a CGT investigation. Akihiro Hata has used this incident as a symbolic element to explore the invisibility of the most vulnerable workers in today’s societies.
The director aimed to blend a strict social realism with a more fantastical element. The construction sites, which he remembered observing as a child in Japan—places that felt both forbidden and unsettling—are transformed here into almost haunted spaces. This approach manifests in nighttime scenes that emphasize sound, reverberations, and shadows, creating a atmosphere of alienation and pervasive fear.
The filming process was a significant logistical challenge. Unable to shoot at a single location, the team had to shoot across three separate sites, each tailored to specific areas: cafeterias and makeshift workshops, basements, surface zones, and upper floors. Studio shoots were also incorporated to handle scenes requiring dust effects and machinery.
For the visuals, Akihiro Hata enlisted the talents of director of photography David Chizallet. Together, they opted to use only construction-site lighting, deliberately eschewing the traditional fixtures typically found on a film set. Influenced by German Expressionist cinema, the cinematography emphasizes stark contrasts and deep shadows, transforming the set into an organic, almost surreal environment.
The lead role has been entrusted to Damien Bonnard, already familiar with construction world from Victoria’s System. The director highlights Bonnard’s talent for capturing Vincent’s dual nature — torn between collective activism and inner turmoil. Samir Guesmi plays Saïd, a union colleague, a character inspired by the actor’s own background as the son of a construction worker.
Grand Ciel
Film | 2026
Release in theaters: January 21, 2026
Drama, Thriller | Runtime: 1h31
Directed by Akihiro Hata | Starring Damien Bonnard, Samir Guesmi, Mouna Soualem
Original title: Grand Ciel
Country: France
Selected for the Venice Film Festival 2025 in the Orizzonti section, where it competed for the top prize, Grand Ciel continues a tradition of socially conscious cinema that examines the overlooked facets of the working world. The film delves into themes of disappearance—both literal and metaphorical—using the thriller genre as a narrative lens.
To keep the movie magic going, check out the January movie releases, discover the must-see films currently in theaters, and explore our top thriller picks of the year.
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