Here’s the first poster (above) for Côte d’Ivoire native Philippe Lacôte’s feature film debut, "Run," which made its world premiere at the 67th edition of the Cannes Film Festival this year, in the Un Certain Regard sidebar – a program created to recognize young, promising talent and to encourage innovative and daring storytelling on film.
The film’s intriguing synopsis reads: "Run is running away… He has just killed his country’s prime minister. To escape, he has taken on the face and clothes of a madman, wandering throughout the town for months. Run speaks of his “transformation into a madman.” He tells the tale of his chaotic journey, like that of the Ivory Coast, by deliberately placing himself beyond the edge of reason. His life returns to him in flashes: his childhood with Master Tourou, when he dreamt of becoming a rainmaker; his incredible adventures with Greedy Gladys, and his past in the militia as a Young Patriot. Run has not chosen all of these lives. He has stumbled into them, escaping from one life to another. This is why he is called “Run.”"
The film’s starring cast includes Isaach de Bankole (likely the most familiar to S&A readers; he recently starred in Andrew Dosunmu’s "Mother Of George"), Abdoul Karim Konate (he starred in Bamba Souleymane’s "Burn It Up Djassa") and Rasmane Ouedraogo (the veteran featured in films like Ousmane Sembene’s "Moolaadé").
The fact that the film was selected for the Cannes L’Atelier film financing summit 2 years ago, made it an all-too obvious pick for the festival (as I noted in my predictions list).
It’s a film I’ve been anxious to see, but it has yet to make its way to my neck of the woods; although I’m sure that’ll change soon enough. Readers in France (I know there are a few of you over there) should know that the film is currently in release in that country, so look for it. The rest of you will just have to settle for the trailer below, until I learn more about future playdates.
By the way, a short film by director Lacôte is currently traveling with the African Metropolis initiative, which features 7 African directors, each exploring their own "African Metropolis" on film.
Sadly, the trailer below isn’t subtitled in English, but, at least it gives you a preview of the film’s look; and the images do help tell what’s happening in each scene, with assistance from the synopsis above):
