The Promise

Roger is a corrupt businessman who smuggles illegal immigrants into Antwerp and protects them from the law in exchange for work. However, Roger pays meager wages for back-breaking labor and charges immigrants appallingly high rent for substandard housing. Roger has a 15-year-old son, Igor, who has learned from his father to steal and twist the truth; Igor is loyal to Roger, despite his father’s frequent violence against him. One day, Amidou, one of the illegals working for Roger, falls from scaffolding at a construction site; as he is dying, Amidou begs Igor to watch over his wife Assita and their child.While Roger and his partners try to keep the death a secret to avoid police interference, Igor constructs an elaborate web of lies to ease the concerns of Assita, who does not know that her husband has died. Before long, Igor’s loyalties are torn between his concern for his father’s safety and his guilty affection for Assita.
Screening Schedule

No physical screenings scheduled.
Script: Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne, Leon Michaux, Alphonse Badolo, Christian Kmiotek
Cinematography: Alain Marcoen
Editing: Marie-Helene Dozo
Sound: Jean-Pierre Duret
Music: Jean-Marie Billy, Denis M’Punga
Actors: Jeremie Renier (Igor), Olivier Gourmet (Roger), Sophie Leboutte (Maria), Rasmane Ouedraogo (Hamidou), Assita Ouedraogo (Assita), Frederic Bodson (garage boss)
Production: Les Films du Fleuve
Producers: Luc Dardenne, Hassan Daldoul
Co-production: RTBF, Derives, Samsa Films, Touza Productions, Samsa Film, ERTT
Costumes: Monice Parelle
Production Design: Veronique Marit
Sets: Igor Gabriel
Format: 35mm Color
Production Country: Belgium-France-Luxembourg-Tunisia
Production Year: 1996
Duration: 93
Contact: Celluloid Dreams, FranceT. +33 1 7970 0370 F. +33 1 4970 0371info@celluloid-dreams.comwww.celluloid-dreams.com

Jean-Pierre Dardenne

Luc Dardenne

Jean-Pierre Dardenne was born in Engis, Belgium in April 1951. Luc Dardenne was born in Awirs, Belgium in March 1954. In 1975, they founded the production company Derives which has since produced some sixty documentaries, including their own. They first came to international attention in the mid-1990s with The Promise. They won their first major international film prize when Rosetta won the Palme d’Or at the 1999 Cannes IFF. All their films since have played at the Cannes main competition and won one of the major prizes. In 1994, they founded the production company "Les Films du Fleuve".

Filmography

1978 The Song of the Nightingale/Le chant du rossignol (doc.)
1979 When Leon M.’s Boat Sailed down the Meuse for the First Time/Lorsque le bateau de Leon M. descendit la Meuse pour la premiere fois (doc.)
1980 For theWar to End, theWalls Had to Fall/Pour que la guerre s’acheve, les murs devaient s’ecrouler (doc.)
1981 R…doesn’t Answer Anymore/R…ne repond plus (doc.)
1982 Lessons of a Flying University/Lecons d’une universite volante (doc.)
1983 Look at Jonathan. Jonathan receives a “lesson” /Regard Jonathan/Jean Louvet, son oeuvre (doc.)
1986 Falsch
1987 TheWorld’s Racing/Il Court, il court le monde (short)
1992 You’re on My Mind/Je Pense a vous
1996 The Promise /La Promesse
1999 Rosetta
2002 The Son /Le Fils
2005 The Child /L’Enfant
2007 Darkness /Dans l’Obscurite (short)
2008 Lorna’s Silence/Le Silence de Lorna