Snows of Kilimanjaro

Snows of Kilimanjaro

Les Neiges du Kilimandjaro

It should not be confused with Ernest Hemmingway’s short story or the 1952 Hollywood adaptation, French auteur Robert Guédiguian’s film is based on the poem by Victor Hugo “How Good Are the Poor”. Michel is a hard-working, doggedly hon¬est union rep who has the unenviable job of deciding who among his workers will be laid off. Settling on a lottery system, he puts his own name in the box and ends up out of a job. Michel finds himself facing the consequences of his moral position when he struggles to adapt to his new reality at home with his wife and to his dealings with his ex-workers. Family life keeps him going, but when Michel and his closest friends are subject to a violent home invasion and rob¬bery, he finds his world turned upside down. The trauma of the incident ripples through his life, and he sets out to discover the iden¬tity of his assailants. What he uncovers takes him back to his former workplace and forces him to confront his entire belief system.

About director:

Robert Guédiguian (b. 1953, Marseille, France) is a French film director, actor, screenwriter and producer. Most of his films star Ariane Ascaride and Jean-Pierre Darroussin. His films are strongly marked by the local and regional environment of the city of Marseille, and in particular L'Estaque. He studied at l’Université d’Aix-en-Provence. He is the son of a German mother and an Armenian father. His latest film "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival and was awarded by the European Parliament "Lux Cinema" prize.

Selected filmography: ”Marius and Jeannette” (1997), “Marie-Jo and Two Her Loves” (2002), “My Father Is an Engineer” (2004), “The Last Mitterrand” (2005), “Journey to Armenia” (2006), “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” (2011, “Kino pavasaris”).

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