Los Angeles (AFP)

Its main star is British and its director is white: but "Concrete Cowboy", a new film that portrays a black community of horse breeders in Philadelphia, offers a message of hope on the move against racism in the United States, has estimated Idris Elba on Sunday.

“It was essential for us to tell a story about the choices a young man may face in this country,” the African-American actor, when asked about police violence against black people in the United States, said at the occasion of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

"America hasn't changed all of a sudden. These are problems that have been around for a long time," the London-born star added at a virtual press conference.

The film tells the story of a young black man (Caleb McLaughlin from the series "Stranger Things") who returns to an inner city of Philadelphia and must choose between a life of a petty drug dealer and the tight-knit community of herders. horses where his father (Idris Elba) lives, from whom he was separated.

Director Ricky Staub discovered this story, adapted from a novel, when he saw a black cowboy ride past the windows of his office in Philadelphia.

Lee Daniels, the producer, known in particular for his Oscar-winning film "Precious", admitted to being "shocked" when he discovered that Ricky Staub was white and at first he had decided not to produce it.

"I must have thought about it for a moment, but I thought about it, I prayed and I thought to myself this is ridiculous ... I'm going. This guy knows what he's doing," he said. -he tells.

- Small budget -

Shot for less than $ 10 million, rumored to be in search of a distributor, the film sparked interest in the industry, including highlighting a dying community and using real "urban cowboys".

"I hope this will help people take a new look at their communities and respect the role they play in the lives of young men, young people," said Idris Elba, who played the role of a drug dealer in the famous series "The Wire".

Another film presented in Toronto also employs non-professional actors: "Nomadland", a melancholy road trip with the two-Oscar winner Frances McDormand, on the world of people who live in their trailers in the United States.

"Nomadland" was crowned with the Golden Lion on Saturday at the Venice Film Festival.

Actress Saoirse Ronan also referred to another film premiered in Toronto "Ammonite", in which she co-starred with Kate Winslet and which could be in the race for the Oscars.

The film depicts a love story, in late 19th century England, between a paleontologist (Kate Winslet) who lives secluded and gleans fossils on the beaches and a woman who has just experienced a personal tragedy.

This new film from the director of "God's own country" (Only the earth) has already garnered praise, a critic of the Hollywood Reporter even saying he was unable to "find any part of the film that could be improved."

"It takes a lot of time, care and patience to bring beauty and strength to things (...) and that's what these two women do for each other," Saoirse said. Ronan, drawing a parallel between the search for ammonites (a prehistoric fossil) and love.

“It's a very delicate film,” she says.

The Toronto festival, which is being held in virtual form due to the pandemic, will end on September 20.

© 2020 AFP