Demons to Diamonds dir. Valentin Noujaïm

Demons to Diamonds

dir. Valentin Noujaïm

short film, fiction
France, Canada, Switzerland, Italy, Qatar, USA / 29 minutes / 2025

Demons to Diamonds dir. Valentin Noujaim, 2025

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Synopsis

In the cold business district of La Défense, where steel towers pierce a restless sky and CCTV watches every shadow, a wave of suicides expose the fractures of a crumbling society. Strangers move through the streets like ghosts, bound by the invisible threads of paranoia. In the eerie glow of a collapsing city, destruction may be the only chance for rebirth.

Written and directed by Valentin Noujaïm

Producers : Manon Messiant, Leonardo Bigazzi

Cinematography : Antoine Cormier

Editing : Dinah Ekchajzer

Music : Billy Johnny Bultheel

Sound : Lucas Doméjean

Casting : Elodie Bensoussan

Set design : Jeanne Dekonink

Costume design : Pierre Demones

Starring : Kayije Kagame / Denis Lavant / Alexandra Stewart / Loubna Abidar / Eva Huault / Félix Maritaud / Anne Benoit / Erwan / Kepoa Falé / Wei Yang / Adam Sinclaire / Elyjah Timera / Méliana / Roman Gamboa / Pierre Demones / Alain Chaillot

Commissioned by Kunsthalle Basel on the occasion of Valentin Noujaïm’s exhibition PANTHEON in partnership with The Vega Foundation and Lo Schermo dell’Arte.

Produced by Iliade et Films, with additional support from VISIO Production Fund, le Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée, Doha Film Institute, The Renaissance Society, Chicago (Renaissance TV), Lafayette Anticipations – Fonds de dotation Famille Moulin, Paris, PROCIREP, ANGOA.

Festivals & screenings
MoMA, NYC - 'An Evening with Valentin Noujaïm', US
National Gallery of Art, DC - 'The Defense Trilogy', US
Now Instant Image Hall, US
Festival du Nouvéau Cinéma Montréal x MOMENTA Biennale, CA
AFI Fest, US
FIFIB Festival International du Film Indépendant de Bordeaux, FR
Lo Schermo dell'Arte, IT
ICA London, UK

Exhibitions
Kunsthalle Basel, CH - 'Pantheon' - solo show, 2025

Filmmaker's bio

Valentin Noujaïm (b. 1991, French-Lebanese) graduated from the Screenwriting Department of La Fémis in Paris and was a guest student at the Städelschule in Frankfurt am Main. Noujaïm’s work challenges dominant societal narratives, shedding light on the lives of individuals and communities historically marginalized by systemic discrimination. The cinematic worlds he creates reflect his commitment to exploring diverse formats, including 16mm film, archival materials, digital footage, and special effects.

His films have been selected by numerous prestigious festivals, including CPH:DOX, Visions du Réel, IFFR Rotterdam, DocLisboa, BAFICI, DokuFest, BlackStar Film Festival, Shanghai IFF, and Kurzfilmtage Winterthur. In 2024, his film Pacific Club was shortlisted for the César Award for Best Documentary. His work has also been featured in several group exhibitions, such as the Fondation Cartier (2025), Nîmes Triennale (2024), Museo Madre (2024), Gianni Manhattan Gallery (2024), Magasins Généraux (2023), CNAC Magasin (2022), Salon de Montrouge (2022), and Air de Paris Gallery (2022), among others. Noujaïm presented his first institutional solo show at Kunsthalle Basel in February 2025. He will present the La Défense film trilogy at MoMA, as part of Modern Mondays, in September 2025.