Archive of films Khamsa / Khamsa

France
2008, 95 min

Section: Another View
Year: 2009

Thirteen-year-old Marco, whom everyone calls Khamsa, runs away from his adoptive family back to the Roma camp in Marseille where he grew up. But he dreams of a better future. This visually refined movie was screened as a world premiere at last year’s Locarno festival.

Synopsis

Thirteen-year-old Marco, whom everyone calls Khamsa, runs away from his adoptive family back to the Roma camp in Marseille where he grew up and where his family still lives. But his mother refuses to accept him and his father is more worried about himself and his new girlfriend. So the boy starts hanging around with friends: cousin Tony, whose passion is cockfighting as a means of getting rich, and Coyote, who introduces him to a young Arab named Rachitique. The latter initiates the two boys into the world of petty theft. Khamsa would like to free himself from his uninspiring environment and plan for the future – he dreams of becoming a baker, but the obstacles in his way seem impossible to overcome. The wonderful and authentic actor playing Khamsa, Marc Cortes, was selected from many candidates. This visually refined movie was screened as a world premiere at last year’s Locarno festival.

About the director

Karim Dridi (b. 1961) was born in Tunis, and his movies have met with success at world festivals. In 1995, Bye-Bye was shown in the Un certain regard section at Cannes, and as part of the French Regional Film overview at the 1999 KVIFF. His first shorts, Dans le sac (1987) and Zoe la boxeuse (1992), treated the topic which most interests director Dridi: the cultural and social differences influencing the lives of his protagonists. His 1994 debut, Pigalle, deals with the notorious Parisian quarter, and Foul Play (Hors-jeu, 1998) was shown in the competition at Locarno. Other films include Fureur (2002), screened in the competition at the 2003 Berlinale, and two documentaries, Citizen Ken Loach (1997) and Cuba Feliz (2000).

Contacts

Rezo
29, Rue du Faubourg Poissonniere, 75009, Paris
France
Tel: +33 615453221
E-mail: [email protected]
www: www.rezofilms.com

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About the film

Color, 35 mm

Section:	Another View

Director:	Karim Dridi
Screenplay:	Karim Dridi
Dir. of Photography:	Antoine Monod
Editor:	Lise Beaulieu
Producer:	Karina Grandjean, Karim Dridi
Production:	Mirak Films
Cast:	Marc Cortes, Raymond Adam, Tony Fourmann, Mehdi Laribi, Simon Abkarian
Contact:	Rezo

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Eve Albertini

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