First Look: Matt Dillon & Tom Blyth in Claire Denis’ Film – Watch “The Cry of the Guards” Trailer!

Claire Denis, one of our most celebrated filmmakers known internationally, returns with “The Cry of the Guards.” Denis, who has previously directed films such as Trouble Every Day and Les Salauds, and worked with stars like Robert Pattinson, Margaret Qualley, Juliette Binoche, and Vincent Lindon, now collaborates with a stellar cast: Isaach de Bankolé (Dune 3, The Brutalist…), Matt Dillon (Wild Things, There’s Something About Mary…), Mia McKenna-Bruce (How To Have Sex), and Tom Blyth (People We Meet On Vacation).

Check out the trailer for The Cry of the Guards:

The Cry of the Guards is a very free adaptation of Bernard-Marie Koltès’s play, Combat de nègre et de chiens. Claire Denis co-wrote the screenplay with Suzanne Lindon.

A Script Co-Written with Suzanne Lindon, Based on Bernard-Marie Koltès

The story is set in a large public works site in West Africa. Horn, the boss, and Cal, a young engineer, share temporary housing behind the double gates of the enclave reserved for whites. Leone, Horn’s future wife, arrives from Europe on the same evening that a man who has broken in appears behind the gates. His name is Alboury. He refuses to leave until the body of his brother, who died on the site, is returned to him.

The film is set to release in French cinemas on April 8, 2026, and has already made rounds in several international festivals including Toronto, New York Film Festival, and San Sebastian.

Meeting the team behind Stars At Noon, Claire Denis’s latest feature film

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