Synopsis
At the National Archives, during our research on the Algerian War, we stumbled upon a fragile paper envelope. Inside were forty black and white photographs with scalloped edges. They showed men in detention preparing backstage, posing and smiling, then performing on stage before an audience of six hundred prisoners. An Algerian man is tortured by the French army, the independence flag is raised, and a song is taken up by the crowd. On June 23, 1961, in the Baumettes prison, in the midst of the Algerian War, Algerian political prisoners staged an anti-colonial performance. It was a tour de force, a defiant gesture against the prison administration, a defiant gesture against colonial history.
Today, their gaze calls to us. As an entire generation is about to disappear, we set out to find the last men depicted in the photographs. None of them ever saw those images. In Marseille, Paris, and Algeria, this film searches for their names, finds these men, and tells their story.
Soutiens et Partenariats
- CNC FAI Writing and Development Assistance
- Southern Region Group Project Assistance
- Med in doc, Maritima TV
- CNC Audiovisual Support Fund Production Assistance
- Procirep-Angoa Production Assistance
- CNC Images of Diversity Fund Production Assistance
Prix
- Best documentary project at the Blois History Festival