Film director Oliver Laxe cast “lifelong ravers” as extras and threw a real desert rave for scenes in his new Oscar-nominated thriller film, Sirāt.
Following the Spanish-language arthouse film’s U.S. release on Friday, the French filmmaker (a raver himself) spoke with Interview Magazine about the production of several film scenes set at a renegade rave in Morocco.
“We organized a real rave. Everyone knew they were being filmed,” Laxe told Interview. The music didn’t stop for days. At some point, I felt we had enough images.”
Speaking to The Guardian, Laxe said he invited hundreds of “lifelong ravers” who traveled to the Moroccan desert for the party and consulted them on how to properly capture the rave. “They told us that the music cannot stop for three days,” he said. “And we were really pleased with this idea.”
Garnering acclaim for its authentic depiction of rave culture, the real fake party featured a set from 69db, a core member of the pioneering 1990s British rave collective, Spiral Tribe. The film itself was scored by veteran underground producer and Berghain regular Kangding Ray.
After winning the Cannes Film Festival’s Jury Prize last May, Sirāt is nominated for two Oscars at the 98th Academy Awards next month, including Best International Feature Film and Best Sound.
Check out the trailer below.
Featured image courtesy: DJ Kriminal.