Borgo (film)
Borgo | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Stéphane Demoustier |
Screenplay by | Stéphane Demoustier |
Produced by | Jean des Forêts |
Starring |
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Cinematography | David Chambille |
Edited by | Damien Maestraggi |
Music by | Philippe Sarde |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Le Pacte |
Release dates |
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Running time | 117 minutes |
Country | France |
Language | French |
Box office | $1.9 million[1] |
Borgo is a 2023 French prison drama film written and directed by Stéphane Demoustier. It stars Hafsia Herzi as a prison guard in Corsica.[2][3] The supporting cast includes Moussa Mansaly, Louis Memmi, Michel Fau, Pablo Pauly and Florence Loiret Caille.
The film had its world premiere at the Angoulême Francophone Film Festival on 25 August 2023, and was released in France by Le Pacte on 17 April 2024. At the 50th César Awards, Herzi won Best Actress.
Premise
Prison guard Mélissa is transferred to Borgo penitentiary center in Corsica, where she finds herself implicated in a double murder for which she is suspected of complicity.
Cast
- Hafsia Herzi as Mélissa Dahleb
- Moussa Mansaly as Djibril
- Louis Memmi as Saveriu
- Michel Fau as le commissaire
- Pablo Pauly as le brigadier
- Florence Loiret Caille as la directrice
- Cédric Appietto as Joseph Marchetti
- Henri-Noël Tabary as Anto
- Anthony Morganti as Pascal Rossi
- Thomas Muziotti as Scaniglia
Production
Demoustier wrote the film's screenplay, in collaboration with Pascal-Pierre Garbarini.[4] The film was inspired by a double murder that took place at Bastia–Poretta Airport in 2017. The case – dubbed by French media as the "kiss of death" – involved prison warden Cathy Sénéchal, who befriended gangsters of the Gang de la Brise de Mer while she worked at the prison in Borgo. She later confessed to her role in the crime, which involved giving a kiss to two men in order to single them out as targets to an assassin.[5][6][7][8]
Principal photography took place primarily in Ajaccio (Corse-du-Sud) and the surrounding area,[9] as well in the abandoned maison d'arrêt in Compiègne (Oise)[10] The airport scenes were shot in Grenoble.[11]
Release
Borgo was selected to be screened at the 16th Angoulême Francophone Film Festival,[12] where it had its world premiere on 25 August 2023.[13]
The film was theatrically released in France on 17 April 2024 by Le Pacte.[14] International sales were handled by Paris-based company Charades.[4]
Reception

Critical response
On AlloCiné, the film received an average rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars, based on 33 reviews from French critics.[15]
Accolades
Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
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César Awards | 28 February 2025 | Best Actress | Hafsia Herzi | Won | [16] |
Best Original Screenplay | Stéphane Demoustier | Nominated | |||
Lumière Awards | 20 January 2025 | Best Actress | Hafsia Herzi | Nominated | [17] |
Reims Polar | 14 April 2024 | Prix du jury[a] | Borgo | Won | [18] |
Notes
- ^ Shared with Only the River Flows.
References
- ^ "Borgo (2023)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ Strauss, Frédéric (28 January 2025). ""Borgo", de Stéphane Demoustier : un vertigineux polar psychologique en milieu carcéral". Télérama (in French). Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ Mandelbaum, Jacques (17 April 2024). "Dans Borgo, Hafsia Herzi incarne une surveillante de prison en plein engrenage mafieux". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ a b Lemercier, Fabien (12 April 2024). "Review: Borgo". Cineuropa. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ Campbell, Matthew (11 May 2024). "The prison warden who took part in gangland hit to 'spice up her life'". The Times. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ Serrano, Céline (25 August 2023). "Borgo, film inspiré du double assassinat de Bastia-Poretta, en avant-première à Angoulême". France 3 Corse ViaStella (in French). Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ Guedj, Philippe (17 April 2024). "Borgo renouvelle avec bonheur le thriller carcéral". Le Point (in French). Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ Durand-Souffland, Stéphane (5 May 2024). ""Baiser de la mort", matonne complice et écoutes accablantes : la vendetta des héritiers de la Brise de mer devant la justice". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ "borgo-dossier-de-presse-francais" (PDF). Unifrance (in French). p. 2. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ "Alerte à la bombe à Bastia avant une projection : Borgo, film inspiré d'un double assassinat". BFM TV (in French). 7 October 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ Vergereau, Pascale (17 April 2024). "ENTRETIEN. Stéphane Demoustier, réalisateur : « Borgo est une prison au fonctionnement unique »". Ouest-France (in French). Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ "Le Festival du film francophone d'Angoulême annonce la couleur". Boxoffice Pro (in French). 20 July 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ "Borgo" (in French). Angoulême Francophone Film Festival. Archived from the original on 25 August 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ "Borgo, L'homme aux mille visages, LaRoy... Les sorties cinéma du 17 avril". La Croix (in French). 17 April 2024. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ "Critiques Presse pour le film Borgo". AlloCiné (in French). Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ Roxborough, Scott (28 February 2025). "'Emilia Pérez' Wins Best Film at France's César Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ Jamet, Constance (12 December 2024). "Emilia Perez récolte six nominations aux prix Lumières et poursuit son envolée". Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 14 December 2024.
- ^ Vely, Yannick (13 April 2024). "Festival Reims Polar : le palmarès et notre coup de coeur". Paris Match (in French). Retrieved 1 March 2025.