Watch | An exclusive clip from the new gay French comedy ‘The Shiny Shrimps’
The new film is set to be released in UK cinemas from September 6
By Steve Brown
Words: Steve Brown
The new, hilarious French comedy The Shiny Shrimps is set to hit UK cinemas next month and we have an exclusive clip.
Inspired by a real-life gay water polo team, the film follows homophobic Mathias Le Goff, a vice-world swimming champion, who is sentenced to coach The Shiny Shrimps, a gay water polo team, who are more motivated by the party than by the competition.
In our exclusive clip, we see Mathias and the water polo team practicing in a lake… but as Mathias grows angrier and angrier at the lack of concentration, the members of the team keep up the fun and drop their Speedos and dive into the water.
The new film is set to be released in UK cinemas from September 6 – check out where you can watch it here.
Watch the clip below:
In Attitude’s September Style issue – out now to order globally and download to any device – co-directors Cédric le Gallo, a member of the real Shiny Shrimps, and established filmmaker Maxime Govare open up about the success of the film ahead of its UK release date.
When asked whether his new film signals a new acceptance of gay culture in France, Govare says: “It’s a tricky question. Yes and no. You have more debate for everything, which is a sign of the times.
“But as Spider-Man is told, ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’ The thing we were happy about was that in small cities, where we thought we wouldn’t have much of an audience, we ended up having a lot of older people, very far away from knowing anything about [the gay] community, who came because they were curious.
“It’s going in the right direction but the war hasn’t been won yet.”
Gallo also talks about why he waited to join the real life Shiny Shrimps at the age of 37 and admits it was because of the ‘negative macho energy’ of the changing rooms.
He says: “I started sport very late, when I was 37. I never did it before because the changing room was a kind of trauma, a place where there is a lot of negative macho energy.
“For the first time in my life I felt I can be different and [in the Shiny Shrimps’ changing room] difference is celebrated. I thought I could do a sports movie with completely different values because we don’t care about winning.
“We are happy to win but if we don’t, it’s fine. Also all my friends in this team are very colourful, they could be comedy characters.
“When there is a gay movie in France it’s always a drama. The last gay comedy in France was called Pédale Douce [Soft Pedal] and it was more than 20 years ago. So I decided: right, it’s time to do another gay comedy. It changed my life.”
Read our full interview with Gallo and Govare in Attitude’s September Style issue – out now to order globally and download to any device.
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