Our Father, The Devil – Director Ellie Foumbi

Nominated for the 2023 “Best Feature” Independent Spirit Award, Ellie Foumbi’s elegant moral thriller and debut feature OUR FATHER, THE DEVIL (“Mon père, le diable”) stars a riveting Babetida Sadjo, (Ritual), as Marie, the head chef at a retirement home in small-town France. Her easy day-to-day life spent caring for residents, hanging out with her co-worker and best friend Nadia (Jennifer Tchiakpe), and teasing a potential new romance is disrupted by the arrival of Father Patrick (former Spirit Award nominee Souleymane Sy Savané, (Goodbye Solo), an African priest whom she recognizes from a terrifying episode in her homeland. As he further endears himself to the residents and staff, Marie is forced to decide how best to deal with this reminder of her troubled past. Writer / Director Ellie Foumbi joins us for a conversation on her intense and fearless dissection of trauma, power, revenge, guilt, and the devils hiding within all of us  and the Oscar-worthy performances by Babetida Sadjo and Souleymane Sy Savané, OUR FATHER, THE DEVIL is a stunning showcase for the impeccable talents of everyone involved.

 

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2023 Spirit Award Nominee: Best Picture

Tribeca Film Festival, Audience Award Winner: Best Narrative

Sept 1 in Los Angeles at the Laemmle Royal

About the filmmaker – Ellie Foumbi is an award-winning Cameroonian-American filmmaker whose debut film, Our Father, the Devil, went on to win 25 prizes at international film festivals and was nominated for Best Feature at the Independent Spirit Awards. She’s a BAFTA Breakthrough USA Fellow and was named one of 25 New Faces of Independent Film by Filmmaker Magazine. Ellie’s stories often explore pressing social-political issues within the African diaspora through a genre lens, aiming to shine a light on marginalized populations. She holds an MFA from Columbia University’s School of the Arts in Directing.

SOCIAL MEDIA
twitter.com/ourfathrthedevl
twitter.com/EllieAnette
twitter.com/SouleymaneSySav
instagram.com/ourfatherthedevil
instagram.com/ellie.foumbi
instagram.com/souleymane_sysavane
instagram.com/babetida.sadjo
instagram.com/jennifertchiakpe
instagram.com/cinewax

100% on RottenTomatoes

“Cutting… the enigmatic drama goes places you almost certainly won’t expect.”  – Michael Nordine, Variety

“Providing a rare treatment of trauma that is both thrilling and intelligent, Our Father, the Devil is profound and deeply moving.” – Richard Propes, The Independent Critic

“This is quite simply the best performance of the year, blowing everything else out of the water.” – Jennie Kermode, Eye For Film

“Ellie Foumbi’s explosive debut can’t be denied; neither can the  performances here, notably the one from Sadjo, who cycles through a juggernaut of raw, intense emotions.” – Randy Myers, San Jose Mercury News

“…An impressive feat of storytelling.” – Stephen Saito, The Moveable Fest

“Defies genre and expectations. it’s not the kind of psychological thriller we’ve come to expect.”  – Sharai Bohannon, Dread Central