PODCAST| Matt Micucci interviews Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire, director of the film A Prayer Before Dawn.
Director Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire presented his film, A Prayer Before Dawn, at the 2nd International Film Festival & Awards Macao. The film is based on the true story of Billy Moore, a troubled young British man who ended up in a hellish Thai prison for three years. Sauvaire tells us about his desire to make his film as immersive as possible. He also talks about the arduous task of the challenging production, which was filmed, among other things, with a large cast of Thai ex-convicts in an abandoned prison. Sauvaire also talks about the style of the film, such as his use of long takes, as well as meeting and casting Joe Cole in the role of the protagonist.
A Prayer Before Dawn: Billy Moore is a troubled young British man whose life spirals into hell when he is given a three-year sentence in one of Thailand’s most notorious prisons on drug charges. Life on the inside is vicious, and Billy has to navigate his way around the constant threat of gang violence, drug abuse, and sexual assault. But when the prison authorities allow him to take part in the Muay Thai boxing tournaments, he realizes that boxing is his only hope for survival and possibly represents a road to redemption.
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