Night of the Kings

La Nuit des rois

61st TIFF: Greek premiere

A young man is sent to Ivory Coast’s most ferocious prison, a world governed by rites and unwritten laws. As the red moon casts an eerie spell, he is designated to narrate stories to his fellow inmates; he has no choice but to carry on until dawn. Recalling One Thousand and One Nights, this fable of visions and hallucinations transforms ancient myths into a talisman against death and delves into the mystical universe of an entire continent.

Screening Schedule

No physical screenings scheduled.


Direction: Philippe Lacôte
Script: Philippe Lacôte
Cinematography: Tobie Marier Robitaille
Editing: Aube Foglia
Sound: Emmanuel Croset
Music: Olivier Alary
Actors: Koné Bakary, Steve Tientcheu, Rasmané Ouédraogo, Issaka Sawadogo, Digbeu Jean Cyrille
Production: Banshee Films
Producers: Delphine Jaquet, Yanick Létourneau, Ernest Konan and Yoro Mbaye
Co-production: Wassakara Productions, Peripheria, Yennenga Production
Sets: Samuel Teisseire
Format: DCP
Color: Color
Production Country: France, Ivory Coast, Canada, Senegal
Production Year: 2020
Duration: 92΄
Contact: MEMENTO FILMS Gaelle Palluel gaelle@memento-films.com
Awards/Distinctions: Amplify Voices Award – Toronto IFF 2020

Philippe Lacôte

Philippe Lacôte grew up in Abidjan near a movie theater, the “Magic.” His work as a director has taken on several forms, before focusing in 2002 on the recent history of his country with Chronicles of War in the Ivory Coast, a film on the edge between a documentary and a diary. It was followed by the feature film Run, the story of a wandering madman, selected in 2014 Cannes’ Un Certain Regard. This selection confirmed his talent as a filmmaker and revealed a new voice from the African continent. Night of the Kings (original title La nuit des rois), his second feature, is a dive into the largest prison in West Africa, during a night of red moon.

Filmography

2013 To Repel Ghosts (short)
2014 Run
2020 Night of the Kings