Official Selection - Competition 2011 / Roméo Onze / Canada 2011
The intimate portrait of a young man struggling to find his footing in life while coping with a physical disability and trying to live up to his father’s expectations. A trail of lies slowly catches up with him as he tries to become Romeo Eleven. This visually compelling and sensitive debut by Ivan Grbovic tells of a young man’s desire to overcome social bias and his own prejudices.
Things aren’t easy for a dark-skinned young man living in the French-speaking part of Canada. He was born into a family of Arab Christian immigrants and he also had to undergo an operation on his legs in early childhood. For the protagonist, his parents and everyone else, his conspicuous physical disability is regarded as a stigma. So the young lad creates an alternative identity on the internet, where he passes himself off as an attractive businessman with a flashy career ahead of him. Will he be able to conquer his physical handicap and confront the inevitable social exclusion associated with it? This intimate portrait of a young man coming to terms with his physical affliction and challenging position in society is a delicately handled debut, whose impact lies primarily in the authentic performance of the lead actor and in the subtle way in which the film works on the viewer’s emotions.
89 min / Color, 35 mm
World premiere
Director Ivan Grbovic
/ Screenplay Sara Mishara, Ivan Grbovic
/ Dir. of Photography Sara Mishara
/ Editor Hubert Hayaud
/ Producer Paul Barbeau
/ Production Reprise Films
/ Cast Ali Ammar, Joseph Bou Nassar, Sanda Bourenane
/ Contact Reprise Films
www: www.romeoonze.com
Ivan Grbovic (b. 1979) studied fine art at Concordia University in Montreal and cinematography at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. He worked on several short films as cinematographer, including the award-winning film Fine (2001) by director Michael Downing. In 2006 he wrote and directed his debut short La tête haute, following this up with the short films Les mots (2008) and La chute (2008). Romeo Eleven is his feature film debut.
Reprise Films
5333 Casgrain Suite 512, H2T 1X3, Montreal, Quebec
Canada
Phone: +1 514 273 000 7
Fax: +1 866 573 892 6
E-mail: [email protected]
Brigitte Hubmann
Film Institution Rep.
Paul Barbeau
Producer, Producer
Ali Ammar
Actor, Production Company
Joseph Bou Nassar
Actor
Carolle Brabant
Film Institution Rep.
Delphine Mayele
Public Relations
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