Synopsis
Night of the Kings (La Nuit des rois, 2021) is Philippe Lacôte's drama you can watch online on iFILM. It unfolds inside La Maca, a prison deep in the Ivorian forest that the inmates run themselves.
A young newcomer barely clears the gate before the red moon rises and the boss names him "Roman" — the storyteller. The rule is merciless: he has to keep talking until dawn, and if the tale runs dry before sunrise, he won't see morning. To stretch the night out, he spins the legend of a street king called Zama.
Lacôte stages the prison as ritual and near-theater, the crowd of prisoners taking up the story in dance and song while the real Abidjan bleeds through the myth. French actor Denis Lavant turns up in a small part. The film was Ivory Coast's Oscar submission and a standout at the Venice festival. Rarely is storytelling this literally a matter of life and death. Stream Night of the Kings (2021) online on iFILM.
Starring
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