''Karnaval'' is a French film directed by Thomas Vincent and was released 3 March 1999. The film was nominated for a

César Award Cesar or César may refer to: Arts and entertainment * César (film), ''César'' (film), a 1936 French romantic drama * César (film), ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt Places * Cesar, Portugal * Cesar Department, Colombia * Cesar R ...

for Best Debut in 2000. At the 49th Berlin International Film Festival in 1999 it won the

Alfred Bauer Prize The Alfred Bauer Prize was an annual film award, presented by the Berlin International Film Festival, as part of its Silver Bear series of awards, to a film that "opens new perspectives on cinematic art". The prize was suspended in 2020 after it ...

, a prize awarded in memory of the festival founder.

Plot

While

Dunkirk Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...

is in the midst of its

Carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...

, Larbi, tired of working for nothing for his father, decides to pack it in and re-make his life in the sun of

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

. When he is waiting for the first train which is to leave in the early hours of the morning, he makes the acquaintance of Béa ( Sylvie Testud), who is with her drunk husband. He is straight away captivated by the young woman and she carries him along with her in her passion for the Carnival. The film captures well the character and mad ambience of the extraordinary Dunkirk Carnival. The opinions of the Carnival's friends however remain divided. Some find the picture given here of the Dunkirk Carnival too negative, while others appreciate the film, which was shot in the midst of the Carnival.

Cast

* Sylvie Testud as Béa * Amar Ben Abdallah as Larbi * Clovis Cornillac as Christian * Martine Godart as Isabelle * Jean-Paul Rouve as Pine * Thierry Bertein as Gigi * Dominique Baeyens as Doriane * Hervé Pierre as Verhoeven * Malek Kateb as Larbis Vater * Karim Attia as Nasser * Manon Seys as Emilie

References

External links

* 1999 films 1999 directorial debut films 1999 drama films 1990s French films 1990s French-language films Films directed by Thomas Vincent French drama films Films set in Dunkirk Films scored by Krishna Levy {{1990s-France-film-stub