VANDAL

US Premiere • Drama • France, 2013

DCP • 1.85 • Dolby digital • Color • 84 min

 

Directed by: Hélier Cisterne

Written by: Katell Quillévéré, Gilles Taurand, Nicolas Journet, Hélier Cisterne,

Cinematography: Hichame Allaouié

Film Editing: Thomas Marchand

Original Score: Ulysse Klotz

Produced by: Justin Taurand (Les Films du Bélier)

Coproduced by: Rhône-Alpes Cinéma, Hérodiade Films

Cast: Zinedine Benchenine (Chérif), Chloé Lecerf (Elodie), Emile Berling (Thomas), Jean-Marc Barr (Paul, l'oncle), Brigitte Sy (Christine, la tante)

International Sales: Films Distribution • filmsdistribution.com

 

Like the stolen car he is driving in circles, Chérif’s life is going nowhere in a hurry. When he is arrested for the umpteenth time, Chérif’s exasperated mother strikes a last-chance deal with a judge to send the troubled juvenile to live quietly with his aunt and uncle in Strasbourg, and attend vocational school to learn a good trade, like masonry. Chérif’s earnest attempt to go straight is sending him directly to the doldrums, until he discovers that his even straighter-laced cousin Thomas is actually part of a local gang of taggers called ORK, who roam the Strasbourg night bombing walls and overpasses in the shadow of a mysterious tagger whose death-defying works have made him a legend. Non-professional Zinedine Benchenine turns in a remarkably composed performance as the wayward boy who comes of age in the world of graffiti art.

 

For his first feature-length film, actor/writer/director Hélier Cisterne assembled an intriguingly eclectic group of writers. After the basic story ideas were set with his collaborator Nicolas Journet, the screenplay was worked on by co-writer and emerging director Katell Quillévéré, whose second feature Suzanne is also screening at COLCOA 2014, and Gilles Taurand, the César winning co-writer of such films as Wild Reeds (1994) and Dry Cleaning (1997). Cisterne has made several award winning shorts, including his 2008 mid-length film, Les paradis perdus, which won the Prix Jean Vigo. Real life taggers, including the renowned graffiti artist Lokiss, designed the graffiti in Vandal.

 

 “Vandal offers up a unique cinematic experience.”

- Jordan Mintzer HOLLYWOOD REPORTER