Friday, February 19 at 7:00pm | Free
Directed by Philippe Lacôte
Côte d'Ivoire, 2014 , 102 min.
Centerpiece Film
Sponsored by Portland State University Black Studies Department
In Philippe Lacôte’s remarkable debut feature film Run, he depicts the recent tumultuous history of the Ivory Coast through the journey of his protagonist Run, so-named because as Run explains, “As life changes, I flee.” After assassinating the Prime Minister, Run seeks refuge at the home of his friend Assa (Isaach De Bankolé). While in hiding, he reflects upon the many paths that led him to this place: his childhood apprenticeship with the village rainmaker; his introduction to manhood with the food-eater entertainer Gladys; and his membership in the Young Patriots, a group of young men who mostly play at being revolutionaries but act more like thugs. With an impassioned, poetic eye, the film charts how much the country has changed in the last 20 years, and in the process changed the man named Run. The story is a strong allegory for the people and history of contemporary Ivory Coast.
In French with English subtitles.
Not suitable for children.