Watch a clip and the trailer for The Worst Ones

Set in the suburbs of Boulogne-Sur-Mer in northern France,THE WORST ONES captures a film within a film as it follows the production of a feature whose director turns to the local Cité Picasso housing project for casting. Eager to capture performances of gritty authenticity, the director selects four working class teenagers to act in the film to the surprise and consternation of the local community, who question the director’s choice of “the worst ones.” As the director and crew audition, rehearse, film, and interact with their hand-picked cast, jealousies are stoked, lines are crossed, and ethical questions arise, with thought-provoking and at times darkly funny results.

Winner of the top prize in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, THE WORST ONES announces directors Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret as exciting new voices in French cinema.

Romane Gueret studied cinema at the Sorbonne and then took her first steps towards directing as an assistant director, casting assistant, and cameraman.

Lise Akoka completed a university course in Psychology and professional training in acting (Les Ateliers du Sud and the Studio-théâtre d’Asnières). She then discovered, in casting and coaching children for film, a way of bringing her two interests together.

In 2014, Romane and Lise met during casting for a feature film, for which they auditioned more than 4000 young non-professional actors for several months.In 2015, they co-directed the short film Chasse Royale, which won awards at several festivals, most notably the Illy Prize at the 2016 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight.In 2017, the film was nominated for a César Award for Best Short Film. In 2018, they co-directed the documentary Allez garçon! for the Hobbies collection, which was broadcast in 2019 on Canal+. In 2020, their web series Tu préfères was broadcast on Arte and then selected for the Sundance Film Festival. In the summer of 2021, they made their first feature film, THE WORST ONES, which was shot in Boulogne-sur-Mer and won the Grand Prix at Un Certain Regard at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.

The Worst Ones opens in New York at The Quad on 24th March and in Los Angeles at Laemmle Santa Monica on 7th April.