Birds Eye View : Past Weekenders : White Material

White Material

Filmmaker: Claire Denis (Director and Screenwriter) Marie N'Diaye (Screenwriter)

France / 2010 / 102 mins / French with English subtitles / UK, Cert 15

Opening Weekend Date: 2 July 2010

Cinemas screening the film: Chelsea Cinema, Curzons Richmond, Soho, Renoir & Nationwide

Check out our exclusive interview with Director Claire Denis, on the Birds Eye View Blog.

"No more smirking. We're stopping the bullshit right now and staying put." The regular army is preparing to reestablish order in the country. To clean up. To eliminate the rebel officer also known as The Boxer and rid the countryside of roving child soldiers. All the expatriates have gone home, getting out before things turn nasty.

Of the Vials - coffee planters who have lived here for two generations - Maria stands firm. She's not about to give in to rumors or abandon her harvest
at the first sound of gunfire.

Just like her father-in-law and her ex-husband who is also the father of her son (a little too much of a slacker in her opinion) she is convinced that Cherif, mayor of the neighboring town, will protect them. If she asks him, he will save the plantation. He hasa personal guard, a private militia of tough guys, heavily armed and well trained.

Claire Denis - Director and Screenwriter

Claire Denis was born in Paris, but raised in Africa. She began her career as an assistant to Jacques Rivette. Her directorial debut, Chocolat was released in 1989 and subsequent films include S'en fout la Mort (No Fear No Die), about the controversial world of cock fighting. She has more recently completed filming Trouble Every Day starring Vincent Gallo.

Marie NDiaye - Screenwriter

Marie NDiaye is a French novelist and playwright. She published her first novel, Quant Au Riche Avenir, when she was only 17 and won the Prix Femina in 2001 for her novel Rosie Carpe. NDiaye began writing at the age of 12. After her first novel she wrote a further six, all published by Minuit, and a collection of short stories. She also wrote her Comédie Classique - a two-hundred page novel made up of a single sentence published by P.O.L. - when she was 21. Her play Papa Doit Manger has been taken into the repertoire of the Comédie Française.

"Remarkable -- Denis's best film since Beau Travail"
Tim Robey - The Telegraph. 5 Star

"Emphatic confirmation that Denis is one of the world’s finest filmmakers. Equal parts terrifying and tense, punchy and ambiguous, direct and disorientating, White Material marshals its resources with great intelligence and visceral clout"
Kevin Harley - Total Film. 4 Star