Naël Marandin could have become a football player or a big-time tennis player. Unfortunately for him, he spent his Wednesday afternoons in a drama class. At that time he applied himself to acting without really thinking that one day he could be at the top of the bill. "It's like playing football on a Sunday, you don't necessarily plan to join a great team.” Nevertheless, a casting director spotted Naël and he was given a lead role in a saga: the screen adaptation of Allumettes Suédoises. In the same year, he spent eight months acting in a play by Montherlant. Naël had just turned 14. You would be forgiven for thinking that his future was mapped out before him but Naël did not let himself be drawn in by the razzmatazz. He found it hard to shake off the fame that his appearance on television brought. He walked away from the film set, took his baccalauréat, continued his studies, travelled to China, learnt Mandarin and returned with new interests, new ambitions and one aim: to set up his own projects. So he took on more and more odd-jobs during the day to fulfil his plans at night. He made his first short film, Corps Étrangers (Foreign Bodies), which was applauded at various festivals where it took several first prizes. He got involved with an association that helps Chinese prostitutes in Paris. As a shy and retiring person, Naël talks about this experience which served as the inspiration for his project quite matter-of-factly. Nevertheless, you notice that the subject concerns him. Naël wants to act and react. "It is painful", he acknowledges, but you know that he will not give up. "It is a special form of prostitution: there are no networks, no pimps... I think it is important to talk about it." As for television, Naël has his mind made up: "It is a real cultural challenge. Dealing with such a subject in a telefilm means making the viewer face challenges which he is not used to. It is high time that viewers were offered telefilms which tackle serious problems." Filmmaking is also on the agenda. "Militant films are often aimed at a given audience. Making a militant telefilm is a real challenge." We will see why at a later date. Finally, Naël is not in any rush: "One day, I would like to make a series on a municipal election campaign in Paris." Next stop 2014?