Night of the Kings (2020) Côte d’Ivoire,
Direction Philippe Lacôte
Screenplay Philippe Lacôte with Delphine Jaquet
Cast: Koné Bakary, Isaka Sawadogo, Steve Tientcheu, Rasmané Ouédraogo, Abdoul Karim Konaté, Laetitia Ky, Nubel Feliz Yan and Denis Lavant.
A young man is sent to “La Maca,” a prison in the middle of the Ivorian forest ruled by its inmates. As tradition goes with the rising of the red moon, he is designated by the Boss to be the new “Roman” and must tell a story to the other prisoners. Learning what fate awaits him, he begins to narrate the mystical life of the legendary outlaw named “Zama King” and has no choice but to make his story last until dawn.
Night of the Kings has screened at various international film festivals. In 2020 it was nominated for Best International Film at the Independent Spirit Awards as well as for Best Cinematography and Best Sound at the Chicago International Film Festival
It was awarded the Youth Jury Award at the 50th edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2021 The same year it was nominated for Tiantan Awards at 11th Beijing International Film Festival. In 2022, it was a Canadian Screen Award nominee for Best Picture at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards .
