TRAILERS

Telling Stories Inside La Maca - 'Night of the Kings' Official US Trailer

by Alex Billington
January 29, 2021
Source: YouTube

"When the red moon comes out tonight, you will tell us stories." Neon has unveiled an official US trailer for the outstanding Ivory Coast film Night of the Kings, which has been playing at every major festivals since last fall. It first premiered at the Venice, Toronto, and New York Film Festivals (read our review here), and is playing at the Sundance Film Festival this week (hence the trailer). The film follows a young man who enters the infamous (and real) "La Maca" prison, a highly secure facility in the middle of Ivory Coast's forest ruled by its prisoners. With the red moon rising, he is designated by the Boss to be the new "Roman" and must tell a story to the other prisoners. It's a film about a storyteller, and how stories move us and inspire. Bakary Koné stars as the night's "Roman", and Steve Tientcheu plays "Blackbeard", with Jean Cyrille Digbeu, Rasmané Ouédraogo, Issaka Sawadogo, Abdoul Karim Konaté, Macel Anzian, and also Laetitia Ky. This is one of the best foreign films to debut last year and a riveting experience in storytelling.

Here's the official US trailer (+ poster) for Philippe Lacôte's Night of the Kings, direct from YouTube:

A young man is sent to "La Maca" located in Ivory Coast, a prison in the middle of the Ivorian forest ruled by its inmates. As tradition goes with the rising of the red moon, he is designated by the Boss to be the new "Roman" and must tell a story to the other prisoners. Learning what fate awaits him, he begins to narrate the mystical life of the legendary outlaw named "Zama King" and has no choice but to make his story last until dawn. Night of the Kings, originally known as La Nuit des Rois in French, is both written and directed by Ivory Coast filmmaker Philippe Lacôte, director of the films African Metropolis and Run previously, and a few other documentaries. This originally premiered at the Venice, Toronto & New York Film Festivals last year, and it's next playing at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. Neon will release Lacôte's Night of the Kings in select US theaters + "virtual cinemas" starting February 26th. We highly recommend watching it.

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