Screen/Society--2011 French Film Series--"A Prophet" (Un prophète)
Film Screening:
A Prophet (Un prophète)
(Jacques Audiard, 2009, 149 min, France, in French with English subtitles, Color, 35mm)
-- Discussion to follow with Prof. Anne-Gaëlle Saliot!
Malik, a 19-year-old French-Arab, enters prison as an uneducated naïf and is thrust into a rigidly defined social system rife with corruption, cronyism, and racism. Director Audiard's intricate study of the bloody rules and rituals behind bars never once glorifies the shocking violence that becomes a rite of passage for Malik.
A Prophet instead offers a clear-eyed examination of the ambiguous figure Malik cuts in maneuvering the laws and loyalties of the violent prison world.
This Oscar nominated film has won numerous awards, including the Grand Prix at Cannes, Best Film at the London Film Festival, and Best Film, Screenplay, Director, and Actor at the French César awards! -- Part of the 2011 French Film Series: "Global France".
Cost: Free and Open to the Public
Sponsors: The Center for French and Francophone Studies, the Department of Romance Studies, the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (AMES), the Duke University Center for International Studies, and the Program the Arts of the Moving Image (AMI).