Synopsis
Sentenced to six years in prison, Malik El Djebena is alone in the world and can neither read nor write. On his arrival at the prison, he seems younger and more brittle than the others detained there. At once he falls under the sway of a group of Corsicans who enforce their rule in the prison. As the 'missions' go by, he toughens himself and wins the confidence of the Corsican group.
Key facts
Cast
Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup, Adel Bencherif, Reda Kateb, Hichem Yacoubi, Jean-Philippe Ricci, Gilles Cohen, Pierre Leccia
Original language
Arabic
First release
August 26, 2009 (Belgium)
Production companies
BiM Distribuzione, Celluloid Dreams, Why Not Productions, UGC, France 2, Canal+
Awards
Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix, National Board of Review Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Louis Delluc Prize, César Award for Best Production Design, César Award for Best Cinematography, César Award for Best Director
Setting
Paris, Marseille
Filming locations
Paris
Crew
Screenplay
Jacques Audiard, Thomas Bidegain
Producer
Lauranne Bourrachot, Marco Cherqui, Martine Cassinelli, Pascal Caucheteux
Cinematography
Stéphane Fontaine
Editing
Juliette Welfling
Music
Alexandre Desplat
Trailer
Stills
Reviews
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Festival History
Titles
| Original title | Un prophète | French |
| Alternate title | A Prophet |
Soundtracks
| CD | Un Prophète - Alexandre Desplat (2009) | 1 release, 2009: Why Not Productions |
Releases & classifications
| Theatrical | Belgium | August 26, 2009 |
| Theatrical | France | August 26, 2009 |
| Streaming | Switzerland | September 2, 2009 |
| Theatrical | Russia | October 8, 2009 |
| Theatrical | Hungary | November 12, 2009 |
| Theatrical | Kazakhstan | November 13, 2009 |
| Theatrical | Czech Republic | December 3, 2009 |
| Theatrical | Greece | December 3, 2009 |
| Theatrical | Portugal | December 31, 2009 |
| Theatrical | Lebanon | January 1, 2010 |
| Theatrical | United Kingdom | January 22, 2010 |
| Theatrical | Ireland | January 22, 2010 |
| Streaming | Ireland | January 22, 2010 |
| Theatrical | Hong Kong | January 28, 2010 |
| Theatrical | Netherlands | February 4, 2010 |
| Theatrical | Australia | February 11, 2010 |
| Theatrical | Denmark | February 25, 2010 |
| Theatrical | Spain | February 26, 2010 |
| Theatrical | United States | February 26, 2010 |
| Theatrical | Canada | March 5, 2010 |
| Theatrical | Germany | March 11, 2010 |
| Theatrical | South Korea | March 11, 2010 |
| Theatrical | Romania | March 12, 2010 |
| Theatrical | Taiwan | March 12, 2010 |
| Theatrical | Lithuania | March 18, 2010 |
| Theatrical | Finland | March 19, 2010 |
| Theatrical | Italy | March 19, 2010 |
| Streaming | Japan | March 19, 2010 |
| Theatrical | Norway | March 19, 2010 |
| Theatrical | Sweden | March 19, 2010 |
| Theatrical | United States | March 26, 2010 |
| Theatrical | Israel | April 1, 2010 |
| Theatrical | Poland | May 21, 2010 |
| Theatrical | Brazil | June 18, 2010 |
| Theatrical | Mexico | August 6, 2010 |
| Television | Netherlands | November 2, 2013 |
| Theatrical | South Korea | April 2, 2025 |
| Television | France | January 11, 2026 |
| Classification | Germany | 16 |
| Classification | United Kingdom | 18 |
| Classification | United States | R |
Versions & editions
| Original version (French) | ||
| Home video | Russia | December 10, 2009 |
| Home video | Greece | March 16, 2010 |
| Home video | Netherlands | May 17, 2010 |
| Home video | Netherlands | May 20, 2010 |
| Home video | Argentina | October 6, 2010 |
Full credits
| Director | Jacques Audiard |
| Cast | Tahar Rahim (Malik El Djebena), Niels Arestrup (César Luciani), Adel Bencherif (Ryad), Reda Kateb (Jordi), Hichem Yacoubi (Reyeb), Jean-Philippe Ricci (Vettori), Gilles Cohen (Prof), Pierre Leccia (Sampierro), Antoine Basler (Pilicci), Foued Nassah (Antaro), Jean-Emmanuel Pagni (Santi), Frédéric Graziani (Prison Warden), Leïla Bekhti (Djamila), Rabah Loucif (Malik's Lawyer), Slimane Dazi (Lattrache), Serge Onteniente (Sentence enforcement judge), Hervé Témime (Prosecutor), Taha Lemaizi (Hassan), Mohamed Makhtoumi (Tarik), Karim Leklou (Muslim in the hallway), Farid Larbi (Muslim in the hallway), Guillaume Verdier (Michka), Mourad Frarema (Khalid), Nathanaël Maïni (Guard Sampierro), Kamel Saadi (Arab), Slim El Hedli (Arab), Farid Elouardi (Arab), Veronica Ghio (The Blonde from Marbella), Charles Maestracci (Corsican), Laurent Blanquet (Corsican), Jean-Pierre Guinebert (Corsican), Pascal Henault (Corsican), Hakim Sid (Shoes racket) |
| Screenplay | Jacques Audiard, Thomas Bidegain |
| Producer | Lauranne Bourrachot, Marco Cherqui, Martine Cassinelli, Pascal Caucheteux |
| Cinematography | Stéphane Fontaine |
| Editing | Juliette Welfling |
| Music | Alexandre Desplat |
| Production design | Michel Barthélémy |
| Visual effects | David Luce, Martial Vallanchon, Olivier Marais, Olivier Robert, Sebastien Alagnon |
| Sound | Brigitte Taillandier |
| Costumes | Virginie Montel |
Additional data: TMDB.
Source: Wikidata (CC0-1.0)
Source: Cinémathèque québécoise, linked catalogue data (CC BY 4.0)
