“Bonne Mère” by Hafsia Herzi is one of the winners of the Un Certain Regard category, for which the Grand Prize was awarded to the Russian drama “Les Poings déserrés”. The fantastic film “Lamb” and his sheep were also awarded.
Un Certain Regard 2021, le complete list
20 feature films (including 7 first films) were on the starting line, and the jury led by Andrea Arnold retained only 6. With surprises on several levels, since the much appreciated Onoda, Un monde and The Innocents are absent from the charts dominated by the Russian drama The Loose Fists of Kira Kovalenko, which seemed to have made less noise. And because there are Casting, Courage and Originality Prizes among the rewards.
Thanks to the Casting Prize, Hafsia Herzi is the only French representative to be among the winners thanks to Bonne Mère, while the strange Lamb takes the Originality Prize and La Civil that of courage, with this true story of ‘a woman who takes matters and weapons in hand to rescue her daughter, kidnapped by a cartel in northern Mexico. An opus that echoes Noche de Fuego, special mention, in which girls are under threat of kidnapping in the country.
Lamb and La Civil can also hope to win another trophy by the end of the festival, since both are in the running for the Camera d’Or, which rewards the best first feature film, all sections combined, during the closing ceremony.
Between family stories, political remarks and a few touches of genre, the jury chaired by Andrea Arnold has brewed different types of cinemas and, perhaps unwittingly, established a continuity. Because in 2019, Nadine Labaki’s jury awarded the director’s prize to A Big Girl by Kantemir Balagov, co-screenwriter of Sofichka, the first feature film by her compatriot Kira Kovalenko, in 2016.
Awarded for its casting, “Bonne Mère” will be released on July 21 in our theaters.