Awards for the film "Our Struggles" by Guillaume Senez

20/11/2018

"Our Struggles" (original title: "Nos batailles"), the second film by Franco-Belgian director Guillaume Senez, won the Critics' Choice Award at the Hamburg International Film Festival and was awarded a special mention for the Cinevox Award at the International French Film Festival in Namur. The social drama was also screened during Critics' Week at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.

"Our Struggles" tells the story of a father, Olivier (played by French actor Romain Duris), who is a trade unionist in his company. The day his wife disappears, he has to learn how to combine his children's education, his work and his union activities, all of which amount to a mental load he is not prepared for. The result is turmoil in the face all these unsuspected day-to-day struggles, which his pride is unable to withstand. The film's critical success stems from its unusual direction, as Guillaume Senez did not want to restrict his actors to pre-written dialogue. Instead, they were able to construct their own texts as the film was made.

The jury at the Hamburg International Film Festival awarded the director the Critics' Choice Award. This festival presents more than 140 international films and documentaries every year and has gradually become a benchmark in the industry. Closer to home, the International French Language Film Festival (FIFF) in Namur celebrated its 33rd anniversary this year and awarded "Our Struggles" a special mention for the Cinevox Award.

This is Guillaume Senez's second feature film and allowed him to take part in Critics' Week at the Cannes Film Festival, dedicated to young directors. Two actresses who star in the film also won individual awards at the Jean Carmet Festival, which is dedicated to actors. Lucie Debay, who plays the missing mother, received the Jury's Award and Laetitia Dosch the Public's Award.