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Charlbi Dean in May of this year
Photo: CHRISTOPHE SIMON / AFP
Swedish director Ruben Östlund dedicated the North American premiere of his film »Triangle of Sadness« to the late lead actress Charlbi Dean Kriek.
She died at the age of 32 on August 29 in New York from an unexpected illness.
"It's a very emotional performance for us because Charlbi Dean, our colleague and one of the leading actresses, died 15 days ago," said Östlund on Tuesday evening (local time).
According to the Deadline platform, the official cause of death has not yet been determined.
Dean is said to have had a lung infection.
After the death message, numerous people had claimed that Dean had died as a result of a corona vaccination.
However, Dean's brother Alex Jacobs sharply rejected this: "From our point of view, this is completely out of the question," he told Rolling Stone magazine.
His sister had a very serious car accident in 2009, in which she broke her ribs and had to have her spleen removed.
Maybe that's why she couldn't ward off an infection.
The South African actress began her career as a model at the age of six.
She worked for labels like Gucci, appeared on the cover of »Vogue«.
In the fashion industry, she was dubbed a "walking and talking toothpick," she once said.
She has acted in South African films such as the teenage comedy Spud (2010) and the superhero series Black Lightning.
»Triangle of Sadness« is a satire about the world of the super-rich.
Östlund was awarded the Palme d'Or in Cannes for this.
A large part of the film, which is due to hit German cinemas on October 13, takes place on a luxury yacht where a chic dinner escalates completely.
Charlbi Dean can be seen in it as an influencer.
It was her first major film role.
"We wanted her to be here, by our side, to share this amazing moment with us," Östlund told the Toronto audience.
With him on stage were the visibly touched actors Harris Dickinson and Dolly De Leon.
"The three of us want to dedicate this performance to her family and Charlbi to honor her work," Östlund said.
'I'm 100 per cent sure that Charlbi wants us to have a really fantastic evening here.
It would have been an important evening for them to introduce the film to North American audiences.«
kha/dpa