SOUTH SENTINEL
(SENTINELLE SUD)
Friday, October 14 – Truffaut Theatre – 10:25 pm
FICTION / THRILLER, DRAMA
FILM NOIR SERIES & AFTER 10
Presented in Association with:
Be For Films
North American Premiere | France | 2022 | Thriller, Drama | 96 min | In French with English subtitles
Directed by: Mathieu Gérault
Written by: Mathieu Gérault, Noé Debré, Nicolas Silhol
Produced by: David Goujard (Agat Films Ex Nihilo)
Cinematography: Laurent Brunet
Film Editing: Guerric Catala
Original Score: Evgueni Galperine, Sacha Galperine
Cast: Niels Schneider (Christian), Sofian Khammes (Mounir), India Hair (Lucie), Denis Lavant (Commander De Royer), David Ayala (Jean-Claude), Thomas Daloz (Henri), Saadia Bentaïeb (Madam El Khoury)
International Sales: Be for Films
Actors Niels Schneider and Sofian Khammes turn in strong performances as brothers-in-arms struggling to readjust to civilian life in Mathieu Gérault‘s first feature, South Sentinel. Just back from a tour of duty in Afghanistan, where their platoon was the target of a devastating ambush, both young men are totally adrift. A tormented soul, Christian is unable to cope with civilian life in France; all he can think about is getting back to the war zone as soon as possible. Mounir, on the other hand, returns embittered, suffering from debilitating war wounds and ready to return to a life of crime. And Henri, a third platoonmate, is in such a fragile mental state, he’s admitted himself to a psychiatric hospital. More than a war story, the film is a portrait of traumatized, damaged young men who no longer relate to the world they live in, desperately in search of answers… and maybe even love.
After earning a master’s degree in economics from Rennes University, Mathieu Gérault began making short films. His 26-minute film Hautes Herbes (2001) premiered at the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes and was subsequently screened at numerous international film festivals. It received the European Youth Jury Award at the Angers Premiers Plans Festival, the Young Audience Award at the Dignes les Bains Festival, and the Grand Prize at the Pisek Film Festival. That was followed by Journal IV (2005). South Sentinel, his first feature film, premiered at the Saint-Jean-de-Luz International Film Festival in October of 2021, was screened at festivals in Lyon and Reims, and was released in France this past April.
