Divines

“Divines,” one of the most critically acclaimed and talked-about films at this year’s Cannes film festival, will be available to Netflix members exclusively in most of the world later this year, the streaming platform previously announced.

Described as one of the best young-adult films to come out of France in recent years, the drama tells the story of Dounia, a tough, but naive teenager who sees getting rich or dying trying as her most viable option. Set in a hood near Paris “where drugs and religion reign supreme,” Dounia desperately wants her share of success, and enlists the help of her best friend, as they decide to follow in the footsteps of a respected dealer. But Dounia’s plans are altered when she meets a young dancer.

Franco-Moroccan filmmaker Houda Benyamina’s directorial debut received rave reviews from critics and was awarded the Caméra d’Or, an award of the Cannes Film Festival for the best first feature film presented in one of the event’s selections. Critics heap praise on Oulaya Amamra’s (sister of the filmmaker) “breakout” performance as Dounia.

“We saw Divines before it was award winning, praised by critics and received a standing ovation at Cannes, we immediately recognized it as an extraordinary film and acquired it early on,” said Ted Sarandos, chief content officer at Netflix. “We’re passionate about bringing our members great films from around the world and thrilled to bring Benyamina’s debut film to our members.”

“Emotions bring people together and are a reflection of society. Thanks to Netflix, Divines will cross borders and the world will be able to enjoy this universal story of love and friendship,” said filmmaker Houda Benyamina. “I am very happy with the collaboration with Netflix.”

The film’s cast also includes Déborah Lukumuena, Kevin Mishel, Jisca Kalvanda, Yasin Houicha, Majdouline Idrissi and others.

Netflix members everywhere, except France, will be able to watch “Divines” later this year. In France “Divines” won’t be available on Netflix until 2019 in accordance with French media chronology rules.

Coincidentally, the first trailer, released today, is for the film’s French release, so it’s not subtitled in English; but you can still understand the overall mood of each scene, and you get a feel for the look and feel of the film.

Oulaya Amamra

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