MONTREAL, Tuesday, April 14, 2026 – ITEM 7 is pleased to announce that principal photography of THE HOURGLASS by Kim Nguyen began on March 16th in the Canary Islands, Spain, and will continue in Morocco at the end of April before wrapping in Montréal in mid-May.
THE HOURGLASS, an adaptation of the book by Édith Blais (Les Éditions de l’Homme, 2021), is sure to be epic and spectacular. This ambitious project has Marine Johnson (Drunken Birds) and Italian actor Luca Colucci (French Film, Whisper in the Dark) as its leads, portraying Édith Blais and Luca Tacchetto on screen.
THE HOURGLASS tells the story of Edith and Luca, two young adults who one day decide to embark on a great adventure that takes them from Spain to Togo. The journey takes a dark turn when they are kidnapped by jihadist forces and taken into the desert of Mali, where they are held captive for 450 days before attempting a highly risky, near-suicidal escape. The Hourglass is a suspenseful drama in which conflict brings forward profound questions about the meaning of life and our human quest: At what point do we choose to die with dignity rather than survive in misery? What is love? What is our relationship with silence and infinity in the 21st century?
Pierre Even states: “We can’t wait for audiences everywhere to discover the talent of Luca Colucci, a Swiss actor of Italian origin whose presence transcends the screen. The chemistry and connection between him and Marine Johnson captivated us from the very first tests. Their shared energy is incomparable and reveals the full intensity of the experience Édith and Luca lived through.”After visiting the set in the Canary Islands, chosen for their proximity to the African continent and desert regions, Édith Blais declares: “I came here to advise and help, but I also felt that people took care of me and offered me something beautiful. I’m extremely thankful to the whole team. In fact, I feel that I did contribute something, but in a more abstract way than what I expected. Perhaps a face to the story, an energy… I’m not sure I know how to explain it. This week will remain etched on my heart. It brought me some sort of comfort. The impulse life follows is very mysterious.”
Written and directed by Kim Nguyen, THE HOURGLASS is the adaptation of the bestselling literary work The Weight of Sand: My 450 Days Held Hostage in the Sahara which has sold more than 100,000 copies since its publication in 2021 (Les Éditions de l’Homme).
THE HOURGLASS is the 9th feature film by the Québec filmmaker, following the critical, public, and international successes of films such as WAR WITCH, Silver Bear winner at the Berlin Festival and nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, TWO LOVERS AND A BEAR presented at the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes, EYE ON JULIET presented at Venice Days where it won the European Critics Award, and THE HUMMINGBIRD PROJECT, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Produced by Pierre Even for ITEM 7, with financial backing from the SODEC, Telefilm Canada, Fonds Québecor, Société Radio-Canada, and thanks to the Canary Islands tax credit, THE HOURGLASS is distributed in Canada by Les Films Opale and Entract Films and will be released in theatres in 2027. Jérôme Vidal of Noodles Production serves as co-producer in France.
