Biography
Tahar Rahim, a young French actor of Algerian descent, was born in 1981 in Belfort, in northeast France. He studied at Sports University in Strasbourg, followed by a year studying Computer Science at the University in Marseille, before studying film at the Paul Valéry University of Montpellier. His life as a film student was chronicled in a low-budget documentary, Tahar the Student (Tahar l’etudiant, 2005), directed by Cyril Mennegun, aired on French TV channel France 5 in 2006. Then, Rahim moved to Paris and studied drama. He spends nights at random jobs, working in a factory and night clubs, and days in acting school. Rahim’s first feature film was Inside (À l’intérieur, 2007) directed by Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury, starring Béatrice Dalle. After that, he starred in the French mini-series La commune, directed by Philippe Triboit.
In 2007, a fateful encounter with Jacques Audiard marked a turning point in his acting career. His performance in the lead role of Audiard’s A Prophet (Un Prophete) brought him international attention when the film premiered at the 2009 Cannes International Film Festival. Rahim convinced the press and jury of his talent with this role and became the new promise of French cinema. The movie received acclaim and honors worldwide, including the Cannes Grand Prix award, the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Foreign-Language Film. For his performance Rahim earned two César Awards - Best Actor and Most Promising Actor and also won the European Film Award for Best Actor.
His films include The Eagle (2011) by Kevin Macdonald, Love and Bruises (2011) by controversial Chinese director Lou Ye, Free Men (2011) by Ismael Ferroukhi, and Black Gold (2011) by Jean-Jacques Annaud.
19.01.2012 Programme Time:
10.00
Synopsis
Condemned to six years in prison, Malik El Djebena, part Arab, part Corsican, cannot read or write. Arriving at the jail entirely alone, he appears younger and more fragile than the other convicts. He is 19 years old. Cornered by the leader of the Corsican gang currently ruling the prison, he is given a number of “missions” to carry out, toughening him up and gaining the gang leader’s confidence in the process. Malik is a fast learner and rises up the prison ranks, all the while secretly devising his own plans…
A Prophet (Un prophète) is a 2009 French film, directed by Jacques Audiard. A Prophet won more than 30 awards, including the Grand Prix Prize at 2009 Cannes Film Festival.
Awards:
2010 BAFTA Awards - BAFTA Film Award : Best Film Not in the English Language
2010 British Independent Film Awards - British Independent Film Award for Best Foreign Film
2010 César Awards, France – César for Best Actor: Tahar Rahim; César for Best Director: Jacques Audiard; César for Best Film; César for Best Writing – Original; César for Best Cinematography: Stéphane Fontaine; César for Best Editing: Juliette Welfling; César for Best Production Design: Michel Barthélémy; César for Best Supporting Actor: Niels Arestrup; César for Most Promising Actor: Tahar Rahim
2010 Lumiere Awards, France - Lumiere Award for Best Director: Jacques Audiard; Lumiere Award for Best Actor: Tahar Rahim
2009 Cannes Film Festival - Grand Prize of the Jury
2009 European Film Awards - Prix d'Excellence; European Film Award for Best Actor: Tahar Rahim
2009 London Film Festival - Best Film
www.sonyclassics.com/aprophet
Director:
Jacques Audiard
Screenplay:
Thomas Bidegain, Jacques Audiard; original screenplay by Abdel Raouf Dafri and Nicolas Peufaillit
Director of photography:
Stéphane Fontaine
Film Editing:
Juliette Welfling
Producers:
Lauranne Bourrachot, Martine Cassinelli, Pascal Caucheteux, Marco Cherqui, Antonin Dedet, Paolo Nino Cence
Production Companies:
Why Not Productions, Chic Films, Page 114, France 2 Cinéma, UGC Images, Bim Distribuzione, Celluloid Dreams
Cast:
Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup, Adel Bencherif, Reda Kateb, Hichem Yacoubi
Duration:
155`
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