Belkacem Lalaoui
2026
France
French
fiction
drama | queer | coming of age
19 minutes
Avant la Nuit
Amine, 17, reluctantly attends the boxing gym in his neighborhood. Attracted to Rayan, another young boxer, he sets up a fake online profile as a girl, using photos of his cousin Sihem, to get closer to him.
Amine | Ilies Kadri
Rayan | Noham Edje
Sihem | Yasmine Boujjat
The coach/The father | Rachid Hafassa
The mother | Maya Racha
The aunt | Taïdir Ouazine
Yohan | Santiago Sabourdy
First Assistant Director | Chloé Gares
Second Assistants Director | Vadim Olivier, Anna Amorena Aguirrezabal
Script Supervisor | Émeline Prat
Director of Photography | Konstantin Pape
First Camera Assistant | Carmela Dupot
Second Camera Assistant | Maurine Lamotte
Gaffer | Paul Hubble
Electricians | Valérian Cruège,Marine Chavroz, Adèle Deshayes
Key Grip | Emma Dewolf
Grip | Damien Alazet
Sound Engineer | Sébastien Gaches
Sound Assistant | Adrian Van't Hoog
Production Designer | Marilou Germain
Production Design Assistant | Léa De Pinho
Prop Master | Julie Preud'Homme
Social Media Graphic Design | Mélie Chapin
Costume Designer | Camille Pons
Dresser | Jimmy Loureiro
Makeup Artist | Marine Soulié
Stunt Coordinator | Daphné Menoz
Production Managers | Jack Atmore, Thibaut Amri
Production Administrator | Ian Pompeo De Camargo
Location Manager | Eulalie Roumat
Assistant Supervisor | Antonin Ricot
Assitant Location Manager | Léo Roussel, Martial Duffillol, Kylian Bailleul
Editors | Arnaud Salavert, Charly Cancel
Assistant Editor | Jack Atmore
Sound Editor | Hugo Mouchat
Sound Mixer | Étienne André
Colorist | Pierre Brière
Belkacem Lalaoui was born in Blanc-Mesnil. After studying literature and English in Paris, he worked as a production assistant on various short-format programs and documentaries for France Télévisions, Arte, and Public Sénat, while simultaneously developing his own fiction projects. His first short film, On the Ropes (2025), was produced by Avant la Nuit and supported by the CNC, the Île-de-France and Nouvelle-Aquitaine regions, as well as the departments of Gironde and Seine-Saint-Denis.
First feelings, self-discovery, solitude, virility, social networks, catfish, urges and obsession are at the central themes of ON THE ROPES, a a coming-of-age story that follows Amine (Ilies Kadri), an ambivalent character prey to desires and fears that drive him to make choices with heavy consequences for himself and for Rayan, the object of his lust.
But it's in the face of adversity, through his mistakes, the blows he takes but also those he gives back, that Amine will grow and find the path to acceptance.
