Canadian Premiere
Étienne lives a stable, solitary existence as a truck driver for French company, his love life consisting mainly of anonymous sex with men in empty parking lots and cruising sites. But after a passionate encounter with Bartosz, a Polish truck driver for another company, his steady routine is thrown out of gear. Life on the road means that physical meetings are few and far between, and as their jobs continue to keep them apart, they struggle to imagine a future together.
A gay romance set in the unlikely milieu of the European trucking industry, Flesh and Fuel is the superbly acted, surprisingly tender feature debut of Pierre Le Gall. Alexis Manenti anchors the film as the laconic, closed-off Étienne, while Julian Świeżewski complements the film with his energetic, joyful presence. As adept with intimate encounters as with raucous group scenes, the film strikes a keen balance of romanticism and realism, marking the emergence of an original cinematic voice.
Supported by
Community Partner
Alexis Manenti, Julian Świeżewski, Armindo Alves De Sa, Julie Duclos, Bernard Debreyne
France/Poland
2026
In French, English, and Polish with English subtitles
At Alliance Française
At Fifth Ave
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Credits & Director
Producer
Nicolas Blanc
Screenwriter
Pierre Le Gall, Camille Perton
Cinematography
Antoine Cormier
Editor
Xavier Sirven
Production Design
Anne-Sophie Delseries
Original Music
Paul Sabin
Pierre Le Gall
Growing up across from a country road, Pierre Le Gall often dreamed of driving away. It led him to Paris, into the arms of a man, and toward screenwriting. Since then, Le Gall has written for television, theater, and film. This includes the animated short film Scars We Love, which was part of the Official Selection at Cannes and nominated for a César Award in 2026. His first feature, Flesh and Fuel (2026), explores the two themes that fascinate him most in cinema: time and love.
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