It all starts harmlessly enough: a jury for a dance contest discusses scoring criteria. A sedate retired couple is competing in the dance-off, in desperate need of the main prize, a car, in order to pay off their debts. Their son Alexandre is trying to climb the career ladder in a renowned legal firm. One of his clients is the unscrupulous French finance minister Stéphane Lemarchand, who is currently being pestered by the press for his many failings. Last but not least, there is teenage Louise, who is preparing for an extra special night. Anyone expecting a fussy social satire after these plotlines have been laid down with care will be rubbing their eyes in bewilderment when director Jean-Christophe Meurisse suddenly ratchets up the pace and intensity, racing head on towards a thoroughly bloody finale.

After training as an actor, Jean-Christophe Meurisse founded and directed the theatre group “Chiens de Navarre” in 2005. In 2013, he realised his first medium-length film IL EST DES NÔTRES, which received several awards. In 2015, he directed his first feature-length film APNÉE, which premiered in Cannes in 2016. The film won the Jury Prize for Best Director at the International Cult Film Festival in Trouville-sur-Mer in France the same year.

Filmography (selection): 2013 IL EST DES NÔTRES (short film), 2016 APNÉE, 2021 BLOODY ORANGES

Awards: Amphore d’Or for Best Film (Festival International du Film Grolandais de Toulouse, France 2021), Audience Award (Festival Internacional de Cinema de Terror de Lisboa, Portugal 2021)