Kino Lorber has secured the North American distribution rights to Boris Lojkine's poignant French drama, "Souleymane's Story," a tale of a bicycle courier and asylum seeker navigating the streets of Paris. This heartfelt narrative claimed the Jury Prize at the prestigious Cannes Un Certain Regard section last year.
Starring non-professional actor Abou Sangare in the title role, Souleymane's performance garnered him the Un Certain Regard Best Actor award, amidst widespread acclaim. His portrayal has since been honored with Best Actor distinctions at both the European Film Awards and France's César Awards.
The film unfolds like a nail-biting thriller, following Souleymane, a Guinean immigrant, as he pedals frantically through Paris' bustling streets, delivering food on his bicycle while grappling to keep afloat amidst life's tumultuous waves. With an asylum interview looming in just two days, the outcome of which will seal his fate—granting him the elusive carte de séjour, the key to legal residence and employment in France—Souleymane's stakes couldn't be higher.
The "story" referenced in the film's title pertains to the narrative Souleymane conjures to bolster his asylum claim, a tale he rehearses relentlessly in his mind. However, it becomes evident that he is far from prepared.
In his review for The Hollywood Reporter, critic Jordan Mintzer likened the film to Vittorio De Sica's neorealist masterpiece "Bicycle Thieves," as well as Cristian Mungiu's "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days," and the humanist works of the Dardenne brothers, praising it as "a profoundly moving depiction of the daily struggles and uncertain futures confronted by migrants in France and beyond."
"Souleymane's Story" enjoyed commercial success in France, amassing nearly $4 million at the box office and welcoming around 500,000 viewers. Kino Lorber plans a theatrical release on August 1st, to be followed by a multi-platform rollout. The acquisition deal for "Souleymane's Story" was skillfully negotiated by Kino Lorber's Vice President of Acquisitions, Karoliina Dwyer, and Agathe Mauruc of Pyramide International.
