It has been a couple of years since Élias abandoned France to travel to Barcelona in search of a better future. His life is shaken between the fear of getting HIV and a confusing past of which he expects nothing. Élias works as a male prostitute in the streets of Barcelona but his life takes a strange turn when he meets Cristiano, his ten-year-old neighbor that lives with his grandmother and makes Élias start to wish for a change in his life. This makes him visit someone that he hasn’t seen for a long time. This trip to the past and his roots, the memories of the negative experiences of his youth with the priest that sheltered him and his new friendship with Cristiano turn around the life of this young man.

Élias (Clément Badin, 2013)

This is a simple medium-length film, with no special ambitions, but with strong criticisms against the welfare state, the church and the family underlined in its straightforwardness. However, it is also a film where hope appears hand in hand with great friendships, the joy of living, youth and love.

Élias’ director, Clément Badin, developed different professional careers before entering La Fémis, where he initially became interested in film scoring and ended up focusing on storytelling. He currently works together with Jean-Baptiste Prévost  in a new film project.

Élias has been selected by several film festivals around the globe, such as the InDPanda International Film Festival 2014 (Hong Kong), and received the Public’s Choice Award at the Gay Film Festival of Roze Filmdagen 2014 (Amsterdam).

Élias, a French & Spanish co-production, lasts 55 minutes and is part of the Official Selection of the 7th edition of the Valencia International Medium-length Film Festival La Cabina, that takes place in Valencia from the 6th to the 16th of November 2014.

 

ÉLIAS | Clément Badin · Drama · France-Spain · 2013 · 55 min