The Deauville Festival crowns the film “Down with the king” by French director Diego Ongaro

Published on : 09/11/2021 – 10:43 PM

On Saturday September 11, the Deauville American Film Festival awarded a film with American hip-hop star Freddie Gibbs, after a 47^e edition marked by the return of the Americans and the monastery halls.

“Down with the King”, a French film by Diego Ongaro which wins the “Grand Prix”, tells the story of a famous rapper who discovers an unexpected taste for the life of a farmer. Shot in Massachusetts, this feature film was presented in July in Cannes.

“I never wanted to play a rapper in a film, but this was much more interesting than a rap film. For me, it was a great opportunity,” the musician told AFP in Cannes. born in Gary, a disaster-stricken town near Chicago, which has long collected legal problems before successes.

In the film, Money Merc, his character, befriends a local farmer (Joe), who teaches him how to butcher cows, feed pigs, bring animals back to the pen. But the rapper is quickly recalled to his reality: his agent harasses him to ask him for demos, his fans demand news on the networks, his competitors “clash” in their texts. The tough guy from the street borders on burnout.

“A strong subject”, according to Charlotte Gainsbourg

Diego Ongaro had already made a film in this region of Massachusetts (“Bob and the trees”), where he now lives. “I am all the more surprised to be here tonight as I thought I would quit the cinema two years ago. With my producer we were trying to find funding and a casting,” he responded.

Charlotte Gainsbourg hailed “a strong subject”. “The main actor is incredible. It’s so close to a truth, the idea of ​​withdrawing, of no longer being in adequacy with the profession that we have chosen,” she commented to the outcome of the ceremony.

>> See also: Charlotte Gainsbourg: “It’s such a pleasure to film the people you love”

The director had explained to Cannes that he would never have dared hope for a rap star in the role without the pandemic. “I thought of Freddie Gibbs (…) and I made up my mind telling myself that it was the best moment: he is like everyone else with his family locked up in his home”.

The raps in the film are improvisations by Freddie Gibbs during filming. The Deauville Jury Prize goes to both “Pleasure”, a debut film banned for children under 18 by Ninja Thyberg (in theaters on October 20), and “Red Rocket” by Sean Baker, who was also in competition in Cannes. Both films denounce the toxicity of porn industry circles.

Attendance up compared to 2020

“Red Rocket”, which will be released on February 2 in France, also won the Critics’ Jury Prize. The Revelation Jury Prize, chaired by Clémence Poésie (“In therapy” series), is awarded to “John and the hole”, a first film by Pascual Sisto. This thriller tells the story of a 13-year-old boy who keeps his parents and his sister prisoners in an old bunker and returns home where he is finally free to do what he wants.

Justin Chon’s “Blue Bayou” won the Audience Award. This film, which was part of the “Un certain regard” selection at Cannes, is released in French cinemas on Wednesday. It tells the story of an American-Korean blended father who has spent his life in the village of Bayou (Louisiana) but risks being expelled from the only country he has ever considered his.

Thirteen films, signed by independent directors from Hollywood studios, were in competition. According to the organizers, the festival has regained pre-Covid attendance, and should end around 60,000 spectators as in 2019, even with masks and health passes. Last year, nearly 38,000 spectators made the trip, according to management.

With AFP