International Competition
Striking the Palace
- Onsite
- 7.15 (Mon) 17:30 Convention Hall
- 7.18 (Thu) 13:30 Audio Visual Hall
Due to the nature of the work rights, this film is not available online.
©2024 ALBERTINE PRODUCTIONS – PRIMA VISTA FILMS - LE PACTE - FRANCE 3 CINEMA
Director: Nessim CHIKHAOUI
Cast: Corinne MASIERO, Lucie CHARLES-ALFRED, Marie-Sohna CONDÉ, Salimata KAMATE, Maïmouna GUEYE
2024 / France / 87min.
Twenty-year-old Eva joins the housekeeping team at a luxury hotel that has earned the “palace” designation, putting it in the highest tier of the French hotel industry. Working alongside Safietou, Aïssata, Violette, and Simone—a team of varied ages and backgrounds—Eva comes face-to-face with the harsh reality of poor working conditions. The fee for a single night at the hotel matches a housekeeper’s annual salary. They must never let the guests see how they work tirelessly to maintain the high standards required. The majority of such women, expected to function as invisible entities, are not employed directly by the hotels but by subcontractors. The women strike in an effort to compel the subcontractors to improve their working conditions, and come up with the colorful idea of holding their own “fashion week” in front of the hotel. In his second film as director, Nessim Chikhaoui—who has also worked as a screenwriter—has created a superb social comedy that will resonate with workers not only in France, but around the world.
Director: Nessim CHIKHAOUI
Born in 1982 and grew up in Vigneux. He has always had a passion for cinema. His encounter with Philippe Mechelen, one of the screenwriters of the film The Tuche Family, led Mechelen to bring him on the screenwriting staff for the sequels, The Tuche Family 2 (16), 3 (18), and 4 (21). He met producer Matthieu Tarot and at the age of 39, he became the director of his first feature film, Placés. Nessim then continued his journey with Tarot for this, his second film.
Message
I would like to express my gratitude that you have chosen my film Striking the Palace to be part of your festival. It’s an incredible honor and a recognition of my work I will cherish. The mere existence of this film was already a victory for the visibility of these people who clean, pick up, and wash while keeping a smile on their faces, despite the wear and tear on their bodies and their poor working conditions. To be able to show it abroad is even more gratifying. I’m very grateful for this opportunity and look forward to sharing my film with your audience. Thank you again for this selection and for your continued support of emerging filmmakers.
