Animals (2021 film)

Animals
Film poster
Directed by	Nabil Ben Yadir
Written by	Nabil Ben Yadir Antoine Cuypers
Produced by	Nabil Ben Yadir Benoit Roland
Starring	Soufiane Chilah
Cinematography	Frank van den Eeden
Music by	François Aubinet
Production companies	10:80 Films[1] A Team Productions[1] Les Films du Fleuve[1] Maje Productions[1]
Distributed by	Cinéart (Belgium)[1] Wild Bunch (France)
Release dates	13 October 2021 (2021-10-13) (Ghent) 9 March 2022 (2022-03-09)
Running time	91 minutes[1]
Countries	Belgium[1] France[1]
Language	French

Animals is a 2021 psychological thriller film directed by Nabil Ben Yadir. It stars Soufiane Chilah and was written by Antoine Cuypers and Ben Yadir, who also produced alongside Benoit Roland. The film is based on the 2012 murder of gay man Ihsane Jarfi in Liège. The murder was denounced as a hate crime and became the first case of homophobic violence recognized by law in Belgium.^[2]

It was screened at the Film Fest Ghent on 13 October 2021, where it competed for the Grand Prix.^[3] At the 12th Magritte Awards, Animals received six nominations, including Best Film and Best Director for Ben Yadir.^[4]

Cast

• Soufiane Chilah as Brahim
• Gianni Guettaf as Loïc
• Vincent Overath as Geoffroy
• Lionel Maisin as Christophe
• Serkan Sancak as Milos

Critical reception

Animals received polarized reviews from film critics, with praise towards Soufiane Chilah's performance and Frank van den Eeden's cinematography, but criticism towards its graphic portrayal of violence and crime.^[5]

Accolades

Award / Film Festival	Category	Recipients and nominees	Result
Camerimage	Best Cinematography	Frank van den Eeden	Nominated
	FIPRESCI Prize		Won
Film Fest Ghent[3]	Grand Prix		Nominated
	Explore Award		Runner-up
Magritte Awards[4]	Best Film		Nominated
	Best Director	Nabil Ben Yadir	Nominated
	Best Actor	Soufiane Chilah	Nominated
	Most Promising Actor	Gianni Guettaf	Nominated
	Best Screenplay	Nabil Ben Yadir and Antoine Cuypers	Nominated
	Best Sound	François Aubinet	Won
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival	Grand Prix		Nominated

References

1. "Animals". Cineuropa. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
2. Ben Abil, Yadir (25 April 2022). "Animals or the Story of Ihsane Jarfi". Ket Brussels. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
3. Engelen, Aurore (25 October 2021). "Gaspar Noé wins the Grand Prix at the Ghent Film Festival". Cineuropa. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
4. "Magritte du cinéma : les nominations sont connues" (in French). 10 February 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
5. Formica, Vincent (15 February 2023). "Animals: la scène la plus insoutenable de l'année au service d'un film choc sur un terrible fait divers". AlloCiné (in French). Retrieved 22 February 2023.

External links

• Animals at IMDb