OUT NEXT WEEK: EAT THE NIGHT, Cannes Directors’ Fortnight Video Game World Queer Thriller

Cannes Directors’ Fortnight Video Game World Queer Thriller
EAT THE NIGHT
Opening January 10 in Select Cities from Altered Innocence

The newest stylish cinematic vision from Caroline Poggi & Jonathan Vinel (JESSICA FOREVER), a bittersweet apocalyptic love story with a modern MMORPG twist

Caroline Poggi & Jonathan Vinel’s striking sophomore feature EAT THE NIGHT world premiered as part of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival as part of the Directors’ Fortnight section and went on to screen at BFI London Film Fest, Festival du nouveau cinéma, Reykjavik International Film Festival, and more. It won Best Director and the Prix de la Critique at the Champs-Élysées Film Festival in Paris.

The French queer romance-thriller follows Pablo (Théo Cholbi, PASSAGES), a small-time drug dealer, and his teenage sister Apolline (Lila Gueneau, THE FANTASTIC JOURNEY OF MARGOT & MARGUERITE) have forged an unbreakable bond through their shared obsession with the online video game Darknoon. When Pablo falls for the mysterious Night (Erwan Kepoa Falé, PASSAGES, WINTER BOY), he gets swept up in their liaison, abandoning his sister to deal with the impending shutdown of their digital haven alone. As Pablo’s reckless choices provoke the wrath of a dangerous rival gang, the end of their virtual life draws near, upending their reality.

Poggi and Vinel’s second feature following their 2018 dark sci-fi debut JESSICA FOREVER and their latest to explore the limits of hybrid visuals and push the expectations of narrative storytelling, EAT THE NIGHT weaves between a real-world France and the virtual world of Darknoon, which is realized through the creation of an original role-playing game used for the production. The duo share writing credits along with Guillaume Bréaud (THE BEAST, THE YOUNG LIEUTENANT).

Poggi and Vinel directed several films separately before starting their artistic collaboration with AS LONG AS SHOTGUNS REMAIN in 2014, which won the Golden Bear for Best Short Film at the Berlinale. They then directed OUR LEGACY (2016), also selected at the Berlinale, and AFTER SCHOOL KNIFE FIGHT (2017), which was selected at the Cannes Critics’ Week and released in theaters as part of the sketch film ULTRA RÊVE. They live and work between Paris, Corsica, and Toulouse.

EAT THE NIGHT is produced by Agat Films & Ex Nihilo, Juliette Schrameck (THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD, COLD WAR), and Mathieu Verhaeghe (DEERSKIN) and Thomas Verhaeghe (DEERKSIN) for Atelier de Production. Olivier Père, Managing Director of ARTE France Cinéma and head of ARTE France’s Cinema Unit —with producing credits that include BACURAU, TITANE, and HIGHT LIFE, and more— co-produced for Arte France Cinéma, and Tristan Vaslot associate produced.