Black, a Senegalese bank-robber born and raised in France, is getting over a disastrous heist in which he lost nearly all of his men. He’s seriously thinking of going straight when his cousin Lamine calls him from Dakar: a briefcase full of contraband diamonds has just been deposited in the bank where he works. Thinking this will be an unbelievably easy coup, Black assembles a new gang and quickly flies to Africa, where he’s never set foot. What they haven’t planned, however, is that they are far from being the only ones interested in that briefcase. The corrupt director of the bank, an arm dealer suffering from suppurating psoriasis, a gang of mercenaries from Chechnya and an Interpol agent are also set to get their hands on those diamonds. With a funky soundtrack, BLACK delivers a heist film filled with action and peppered with comedy and mysticism.

Award
Bronze Public Prize - Best American or European Film - Fantasia International Film Festival 2009

Festivals
Avignon Film Festival 2008
SXSW presents Fantastic Fest at Midnight - SXSW Film Festival 2009
Seattle International Film Festival 2009
Fantasia International Film Festival 2009
Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2009
Karlovy Vary Fresh Film Fest 2009
London Film4 FrightFest 2009

Reviews
****
Eye Weekly

"Kitchen-sink filmmaking at its most sublime... ...a righteously bombastic musical soundtrack... ...the film is a rolling ball of smooth energy... Black is all about pounding out tunes while transitioning from one badass heroic action set-piece to the next"
Kurt Halfyard, Twitchfilm

"Black is a heist film like no other, a film that marches to the crazy beat of its own drum and funkadelic tunes. (...) Ambitious and groovy, Black is a big gooey gobstopper rolling at breakneck speed in its swirling colorful glory, picking up these random characters and antagonists on its perilous plight."
Andrew Mack, Twitchfilm

"...Pierre Laffargue manages to nearly reinvent the genre... Black’s balance of humour, action, and exoticism is undeniably energizing. It’s slick without being too flashy, and MC Jean Gab'1 turns in an immensely likeable performance."
Al Kratina, The Gazette's Ciné File

"...Black stands up remarkably well as a psychedelic homage to ’70s era B-movies. ...a bumping soundtrack that brings as much to the film’s atmosphere as Guy Ritchie’s Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels."
Christopher Sykes, The Montreal Mirror

“BLACK is a superior French / African exploitation film – and its director, Pierre Laffargue, is somebody to watch. ... recalls the conceit of Blaxploitation films, but in a thoroughly modern and artistic way. (...) The soundtrack is napalm f*cking hot! (...) Jean Gab’1’s performance and character just screamed – I’M A STAR!”.
Harry Knowles, Ain’t it Cool News

“It’s gloriously lunatic. (...) BLACK percolates like that first, strong cup of coffee in the morning – with no bitter aftertaste.”
Peter Martin, Cinematical

“... anyone who genuinely enjoys black-American cinema of the ‘70’s in all its forms is in for a huge treat, a movie that manages to mix African mysticism, blaxploitation, and the heist thriller into something that felt truly original. (...) I loved it... and I'm willing to bet others will, too. Once again, Fantastic Fest and SXSW have uncovered another gem.”
Drew McWeeny, Hitfix

“…the second craziest movie of this year’s SXSW Film Festival. (...) BLACK is the latest cinematic salvo from France, and once again you’ll be wondering what the hell is in their drinking water. (...) … it’s definitely a wild and unpredictable ride. Laffargue is a director to watch, and I’m curious to see what he’ll do next."
Rob Hunter, Film School Rejects