Animale

Directed by Emma Benestan
Emma Benestan
Film Movement
2024
98 Minutes
France, Belgium, Saudi Arabia
French
Horror, Thriller
Not Rated
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
Theatrical booking
Erin Farrell
erin@filmmovement.com
Festival and non-theatrical booking
Erin Farrell
erin@filmmovement.com
Materials and print traffic
Erin Farrell
erin@filmmovement.com

Synopsis

In the Camargue region of the South of France, there remains an infamous, long-standing tradition of bullfighting. Local youths participate in the elegant yet dangerous challenge, practicing a modernized version of the sport that seeks not to kill the animals but rather to showcase agility and dominance. Among them is Nejma, an intrepid twenty-two-year-old with dreams of one day winning the annual competition. The only woman working on the cattle ranch, she trains tirelessly to prove herself equal among the men, both in and outside of the arena. The ranchers share a deep respect for the bulls, though when a loose bull threatens the community of riders and young men begin turning up dead, a hunt to find and kill the creature begins. Nejma fears for the bull, beginning a dark, mysterious transformation of her own. The sophomore feature of French filmmaker Emma Benestan, ANIMALE is “a brutal disorienting horror fable burning with feminine anger,” (AWFJ.org), and a thrilling entry into the body-horror subgenre.

Hi Res Photos