Night of the Kings (2020)

A young man is sent to "La Maca", a prison of Ivory Coast in the middle of the forest ruled by its prisoners. With the red moon rising, he is designated by the Boss to be the new "Roman" and must tell a story to the other prisoners.

Director:

Philippe Lacôte

Writer:

Philippe Lacôte

Stars:

Bakary Koné, Steve Tientcheu, Jean Cyrille Digbeu

11 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Bakary Koné	...	Roman
Steve Tientcheu	...	Barbe Noire (Blackbeard)
Jean Cyrille Digbeu	...	Demi-Fou (Half-Mad)
Rasmané Ouédraogo	...	Soni
Issaka Sawadogo	...	Nivaquine
Abdoul Karim Konaté	...	Lass
Macel Anzian	...	Lame de Rasoir (Razor Blade)
Laetitia Ky	...	The Queen
Denis Lavant	...	Silence
Zunon François Lopez	...	Police Officer
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Narcisse Aféli	...	Queen's Soldier
Drabo Arouna	...	Lascar Chief
Jean Marcel Brou Daboiko	...	Lascar Chief
Sandrine Digbeu	...	Policewoman
Lago Woroka Gilles	...	Cook (as Lago Woroka)

Storyline

The wild 'auto-gestioned- prison of Abidjan becomes the theater of a fight for power, as the old 'chief' of the prison must submit his power, due to illness. This last night of the blood full moon a newcomer assumes the role of the storyteller, not knowing that this will end to his own death. To stay alive, he begins to tell the story of a fellow criminal in the slum of Abidjan, and how he was driven to his death.

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Plot Keywords:

prison | storyteller | gun | prisoner | bare chested male | 

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some violent material, language and nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

Official submission of Ivory Coast for the 'Best International Feature Film' category of the 93rd Academy Awards in 2021.

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Connections

References City of God (2002)

User Reviews

Something Missing

Not bad, not great, good. Beautifully shot with the potential for intricate storytelling, but lacking depth beyond the cinematography. It is a rollercoaster I'm glad to have ridden once, but won't be returning to.

Details

Country:

France Côte d'Ivoire Canada Senegal

Language:

French Dyula

Release Date:

26 February 2021 (USA)

Also Known As:

Night of the Kings

Filming Locations:

Ivory Coast

Company Credits

Production Co:

Banshee Films, Peripheria Productions, Wassakara Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Color:

Color