fbpx Biennale Cinema 2022 | Athena
La Biennale di Venezia

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Cinema

Athena

Venezia 79 Competition
Director:
Romain Gavras
Production:
Iconoclast (Charles-Marie Anthonioz, Mourad Belkeddar, Jean Duhamel, Nicolas Lhermitte), Lyly Films (Ladj Ly), Romain Gavras
Running Time:
97’
Language:
French
Country:
France
Main Cast:
Dali Benssalah, Sami Slimane, Anthony Bajon, Ouassini Embarek, Alexis Manenti
Screenplay:
Romain Gavras, Ladj Ly, Elias Belkeddar
Cinematographer:
Matias Boucard
Editor:
Benjamin Weill
Production Designer:
Arnaud Roth
Costume Designer:
Noémie Veissier
Music:
Gener8ion
Sound:
Arnaud Lavaleix, Marco Casanova

Synopsis

After the death of his youngest brother following an alleged police altercation, Abdel is called back from the frontline to find his family torn apart. Caught between his younger brother Karim’s desire for revenge and the criminal dealings of his older brother Moktar, he struggles to calm the rising tensions. As the situation escalates, their community Athena is transformed into a fortress under siege, becoming a scene of tragedy for both the family and beyond...

Director’s Statement

Throughout my life and my upbringing, I have been inspired by Greek tragedy. I am fascinated by its symbolic significance, unity of time and way of transcending reality. I wanted to get closer to this method of storytelling, to translate it into images and create an immersive cinematic experience.
Athena could have taken place at any time in the past or the future. Behind every war hides a manipulation; an original lie. History repeats itself, from the Trojan War to contemporary wars. There are always forces in the shadows that feed the conflict. These forces know that when intimate pain is too great, violence blinds thought and when the nation is fragile, it is easy to push it into the precipice.

Production/Distribution

PRODUCTION: Mourad Belkeddar – Iconoclast
79 Rue du Faubourg Poissonnière
75009 – Paris, France

WORLD SALES: Netflix
cmason@netflix.com

ITALIAN DISTRIBUTION: Netflix
cmason@netflix.com

PRESS OFFICE: Joely Cook, Sneh Rupra – DDA
athena@ddapr.com

ITALIAN PRESS OFFICE: Benedetta Lucherini, Daniele Massironi, Gianluca Pignatelli
benny@studiolucherinipignatelli.it
daniele@studiolucherinipignatelli.it
gianluca@studiolucherinipignatelli.it


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Biennale Cinema
Biennale Cinema