We meet near the Forum des Halles in Paris. With his cap screwed on his head, Julien Colonna appears relaxed. The director of Kingdom is the son of the late Jean-Jé Colonna, nicknamed “the last Corsican godfather” and for some Corsicans the epitome of the “bandit of honor”.

Further reading
The César 2024 notebook: Paul Mirabel at the top, Audrey Diwan inelegant with Valérie Donzelli

For her first film, co-written with Jeanne Herry (I’ll always see your faces ), Julien Colonna tells the story of a thuggish father and daughter on the run in Corsica in the 1990s. Last May, he shook up the Croisette in the Un certain regard section. His name quickly appeared on the map of up-and-coming directors.

LE FIGARO. – You were selected for the Cannes Film Festival, where you received an enthusiastic welcome. Quite a baptism of fire, wasn’t it? ?

JULIEN COLONNA. – There was some of that, indeed. In the feeling, anyway. When, all of a sudden, you receive a phone call confirming your selection for Cannes. The dream becomes reality. It legitimizes perseverance and pugnacity. What’s more, the reception at Cannes was astonishing. Almost ten minutes of standing ovation…