Animals (2021 film)

Animals
Film poster
Directed byNabil Ben Yadir
Written by
  • Nabil Ben Yadir
  • Antoine Cuypers
Produced by
  • Nabil Ben Yadir
  • Benoit Roland
StarringSoufiane Chilah
CinematographyFrank van den Eeden
Music byFrançois Aubinet
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 13 October 2021 (2021-10-13) (Ghent)
  • 9 March 2022 (2022-03-09)
Running time
91 minutes[1]
Countries
LanguageFrench

Animals is a 2021 psychological thriller film directed by Nabil Ben Yadir. It stars Soufiane Chilah and was written by Antoine Cuypers and Ben Yadir, who also produced alongside Benoit Roland. The film is based on the 2012 murder of gay man Ihsane Jarfi in Liège. The murder was denounced as a hate crime and became the first case of homophobic violence recognized by law in Belgium.[2]

It was screened at the Film Fest Ghent on 13 October 2021, where it competed for the Grand Prix.[3] At the 12th Magritte Awards, Animals received six nominations, including Best Film and Best Director for Ben Yadir.[4]

Cast

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  • Soufiane Chilah as Brahim
  • Gianni Guettaf as Loïc
  • Vincent Overath as Geoffroy
  • Lionel Maisin as Christophe
  • Serkan Sancak as Milos

Critical reception

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Animals received polarized reviews from film critics, with praise towards Soufiane Chilah's performance and Frank van den Eeden's cinematography, but criticism towards its graphic portrayal of violence and crime.[5]

Accolades

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Award / Film Festival Category Recipients and nominees Result
Camerimage Best Cinematography Frank van den Eeden Nominated
FIPRESCI Prize Won
Film Fest Ghent[3] Grand Prix Nominated
Explore Award Runner-up
Magritte Awards[4] Best Film Nominated
Best Director Nabil Ben Yadir Nominated
Best Actor Soufiane Chilah Nominated
Most Promising Actor Gianni Guettaf Nominated
Best Screenplay Nabil Ben Yadir and Antoine Cuypers Nominated
Best Sound François Aubinet Won
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival Grand Prix Nominated

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Animals". Cineuropa. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  2. ^ Ben Abil, Yadir (25 April 2022). "Animals or the Story of Ihsane Jarfi". Ket Brussels. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  3. ^ a b Engelen, Aurore (25 October 2021). "Gaspar Noé wins the Grand Prix at the Ghent Film Festival". Cineuropa. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Magritte du cinéma : les nominations sont connues" (in French). 10 February 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  5. ^ Formica, Vincent (15 February 2023). "Animals: la scène la plus insoutenable de l'année au service d'un film choc sur un terrible fait divers". AlloCiné (in French). Retrieved 22 February 2023.
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