FREE MEN
synopsis
In Paris, in 1942. Arrested by the French police, Younes is accused of complicity and threatened with being shot. But the police detective offers him a deal: his freedom in exchange for keeping surveillance over the Paris Mosque, which is suspected of helping Resistance fighters and Jews. In the Mosque, Younes meets Algerian-born singer Salim Halali. Touched by his voice and personality, he becomes friends with him, discovering soon afterwards that he is Jewish. Despite the risks, Younes puts an end to his collaboration with the police. A friendship is born between Younes and Salim, which develops as events unfold. Anti-Jewish laws and German repression don’t prevent Salim from continuing his activities as a singer. But the net gradually tightens around him. One evening, Salim is arrested by the Gestapo who suspect him of hiding his Jewish identity. Faced with this barbarity, immigrant worker Younes, who has no political education, gradually turns into a freedom activist.
international title: | Free Men |
original title: | Les hommes libres |
country: | France |
sales agent: | Pyramide International |
year: | 2011 |
genre: | fiction |
directed by: | Ismaël Ferroukhi |
release date: | FR 28/09/2011, BE 28/09/2011, NL 17/11/2011, IE 25/05/2012, UK 25/05/2012 |
screenplay: | Ismaël Ferroukhi, Alain-Michel Blanc |
cast: | Tahar Rahim, Mahmoud Shalaby, Michael Lonsdale, Christopher Buchholz, Youssef Hajdi, Jean-Pierre Becker |
cinematography by: | Jérôme Alméras |
film editing: | Annette Dutertre |
art director: | Thierry François |
music: | Armand Amar |
producer: | Fabienne Vonier |
production: | Pyramide Productions, France 3 Cinéma |
backing: | Canal +, Ciné Cinéma, Centre National du Cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC), Acsé, MEDIA Programme, Région Île-de-France, Manon, Coficup, TV5 |
distributor: | Lumière, Pyramide Distribution, Curzon Artificial Eye |