PELHAM, NY – On Wednesday, July 15th at 7:30 p.m. The Picture House (TPH) will present an advance screening of the new French film Samba (R- 118 mins.) with a post-film discussion with actor Omar Sy and the film’s directors Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache. The movie will show in Pelham prior to opening nationwide on Friday, July 24th.
Samba which premiered to critical acclaim at the Toronto International Film Festival tells the story of Samba Cisse (Omar Sy) a migrant to France from Senegal. He plugs away at various lowly jobs in a bid to stay under the radar and avoid the authorities. Alice (Charlotte Gainsbourg) is a senior executive who has recently undergone a burnout, and seeks solace in charity work at the immigration center. The pair meet when, in desperation, Samba seeks the charity’s help to get the working papers that will allow him to stay in the country he now calls home. Both struggling to improve their lives, fate draws them together and down an unlikely path that will change them both irreparably.
Combining humor and heart, Samba and Alice’s story is a touching, topical look at issues – both personal and within our society – but with a lightness and soul to melt even the hardest of hearts. After the screening TPH critic-in-residence Marshall Fine will host a discussion and Q&A with the film’s star Omar Sy, and the directors Eric Toledano and Oliver Nakache. Omar Sy is a French film actor, best known for his duo with Fred Testot, Omar et Fred, and for his role in the box office hit The Intouchables (2012), written and directed by Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano. The Intouchables became the second highest grossing French film of all time in the French box office. Sy received the César Award for Best Actor in 2012 for his role in The Intouchables and in doing so also became the first black actor to win the honorary French award. The role also earned him a nomination for a Satellite Award for Best Actor. Sy also appeared in X-Men: Days of Future Past, in which he played the role Bishop and co-starred in the fourth film of the Jurassic Park saga, the highly popular, Jurassic World. Best known for their blockbuster hit The Intouchables, the French filmmaking team of Nakache and Toledano also collaborated on several short films and features, including Je Préfère Qu’on Reste Amis (2005), Nos Jours Heureux (2006), and Tellement Proches (2009).