Black (2015 Belgian film)

Black
Black
	Film poster
Directed by	Adil El Arbi; Bilall Fallah
Written by	Adil El Arbi; Bilall Fallah
Based on	Black ; by Dirk Bracke ; Back ; by Dirk Bracke
Starring	Martha Canga Antonio; Aboubakr Bensaihi
Cinematography	Robrecht Heyvaert
Music by	Hannes De Maeyer
Release dates	11 September 2015 (TIFF); 11 November 2015 (Belgium);
Running time	95 minutes
Country	Belgium
Languages	French; Dutch; Arabic

Black is a 2015 Belgian crime film written and directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah,^[1] based on the books Black and Back by Dirk Bracke.^[2] The film is centered around two young gangsters who seek love, but are impeded by the rivalry between their gang allegiances.

The plot line is influenced by William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and Arthur Laurent's West Side Story but relocates the story to street gangs in modern-day Brussels, Belgium. It premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, where it was screened in the Discovery section.^[3]

Plot

The film follows the story of Mavela, a young woman caught between loyalty and love amid Brussels' gang conflicts. She falls in love with Marwan, a member of a rival gang, leading to a dangerous and intense romance. As their relationship unfolds, they must navigate the challenges of their respective allegiances while trying to break free from the cycle of violence and crime that surrounds them. The movie portrays the gritty urban landscape, the struggles of youth in marginalized communities, and the power of human connection amidst adversity.

Cast

Martha Canga Antonio as Mavela
Aboubakr Bensaihi as Marwan
Soufiane Chilah as Nassim
Marine Scandiuzzi as Sindi
Simon Frey as Jonathan
Sanaa Bourrasse as Loubna
Emmanuel Tahon as X
Théo Kabeya as Notorious
Natascha Boyamba as Justelle
Glodie Lombi as Angela
Jérémie Zagba as Don
Axel Masudi as CMM
Brandon Masudi as Alonzo
Ashley Ntangu as Doris
Eric Kabongo as Krazy-E

Accolades

Award / Film Festival	Category	Recipients and nominees	Result
Magritte Awards^[3]	Best Actor	Aboubakr Bensaihi	Nominated
	Most Promising Actress	Martha Canga Antonio	Nominated
	Best Flemish Film		Nominated
	Best Costume Design	Nina Caspari	Nominated
	Best Original Score	Hannes De Maeyer	Nominated

Streetcasting

To amplify the harshness and roughness, they chose to work with unknown actors and actresses. Most of the cast were picked right off the streets, hence the term "streetcasting". In cooperation with the casting agency Hakuna Casting, Nabil Mallat and Chafic Amraoui visited Brussels' migrant neighborhoods looking for new talent. Caroline Bastin coached the newfound actors during the auditions. Because of the unique background of the cast, these talents were able to give the film's narrative a special touch.^[2]

References

^ "Black Review". Variety. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
^ ^a ^b "Black ~ Official site". black-themovie.com. Archived from the original on 18 July 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
^ ^a ^b "Magritte du Cinéma: "Les premiers les derniers" et "Keeper" sont favoris". La Libre Belgique (in French). 10 January 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2017.

External links

Black at IMDb

[Variety-1] "Black Review". Variety. Retrieved 13 November 2015.

[:1-2] "Black ~ Official site". black-themovie.com. Archived from the original on 18 July 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2017.

[:0-3] "Magritte du Cinéma: "Les premiers les derniers" et "Keeper" sont favoris". La Libre Belgique (in French). 10 January 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2017.

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