OPENING FILM: QFFM X AFT | NIGHT OF THE KINGS

© MEMENTO INTERNATIONAL

CIV, SEN, FR, CAN 2020—93 min—OmdU
Regie—Philippe Lacôte
Cast—Koné Bakary—Steve Tientcheu—Rasmané Ouédraogo
Triggerwarning—Sexual Violence, Violence

DO—28.10.—19:00
PROJEKTOR
GASTEIG HP8

In La Maca, the largest prison in Côte d‘Ivoire, the detainees are in charge. Led by Barbe Noire, the king of the prisoners, they follow their own laws and  rites. When Barbe Noire is supposed to commit suicide because of his poor health, he fears violent unrest because of the succession to the throne. To keep the crowd in check, he appoints a newcomer as storyteller: From the rise of the red moon to dawn, the young pickpocket, the nephew of a griotte, must tell a story – otherwise death awaits him. Thus, accompanied by the spontaneous performances of the audience, the captivating depiction of the rise and fall of a gang leader named Zama King unfolds – who was recently murdered in the street, but his roots go back to pre-colonial times. La Nuit Des Rois celebrates the art of oral narrative tradition, interweaving mysticism and reality, tradition and modernity with the past and present of Côte d‘Ivoire.

Philippe Lacôte, born in Abidjan/Ivory Coast in 1971, first worked for radio in France, later as a projectionist, and finally in film production. In 2002 he returned to Côte d‘Ivoire, where the civil war began three days later. He spent the next seven years making the documentary Chroniques de Guerrre en Côte d‘Ivoire (2008). His first feature film Run (2014) premiered in Cannes and, like La Nuit Des Rois, was submitted by the Ivory Coast as a contribution to the Oscars in the category Best Foreign Language or International Film.

In cooperation with the QFFM Munich, Filmstadt München e.V. and the Munich City Librar

Further Information: www.aft-munich.com