The invisible men
– I could not possibly keep this part of history to myself; it is too important for that, says director Ismaël Ferroukhi, on the train from Oslo Airport. Read the whole interview here.
Humanity, not religion
– I'm not a big fan of putting people into categories based on religion, Ferroukhi establishes. The French-Maroccan director, newly arrived by plane from Paris, is bursting with enthusiasm about his latest project, which uncovers an untraditional aspect of the French World War II history.
– The movie is about brotherhood in spite of religion, nationality and ethnicity. Here, humanity is in focus, and the message is to always offer your help when someone is in trouble. I wanted to tell a story where nothing comes in black and white, and where all the characters are just human. The leading character, Younes, and the mosque leader are both human, Ferroukhi says, gesticulating eagerly while the train carries him through the landscape towards Oslo. – To me, that is reality.
Old history, new aspects
An article in the French magazine "Le Nouvel Observateur" was enough to create the spark that, since then, became Ferroukhi's second movie. During the war, the young Algerian Younes is all of a sudden drawn into the French resistance struggle via the Parisian city mosque.
– When I read about La Grande Mosquée de Paris, I understood that this was a hidden history, and I felt a great responsability to reveal it, Ferroukhi explains.
– In my opinion, this is more than "just another movie about World War II”. It is a part of history that has been completely overlooked, one that I have never seen on any movie screen before.
It was all hidden away
The forgotten history of France's underground freedom fighters, namely the immigrants from North Africa, has been uncovered by Ferroukhi through meticulous research.
– It turned out to be practically impossible to find information about this part of history in books and the public archives, so speaking to people connected to the incidents quickly became an important source, the director says.
The movie includes several people who actually lived. Among them the mosque leader Si Kaddour Ben Ghabrit, who was a central figure in the rescuing of jews in Paris. – I was lucky enough to get to meet Ben Ghabrit's only living daughter. I also worked with Benjamin Stora, one of the world's most acknowledged experts on Algerian history, Ferroukhi explains, with sparks in his eyes. – But still, all the information was well hidden away, and this made my work difficult, he adds.
Ismaël Ferroukhi is born in Marocco, but moved to France with his parents at the age of three. His strong cultural bonds to North Africa has given him a deep admiration for the wartime efforts of his fellow immigrants.
– The historian Benjamin Stora called these men "the invisible men" of the french resistance. The movie is partly documentary, partly a hommage to them. I hope it might shed new light on the Arabs' role during World War II, he ends. The train just stopped at Oslo Central Station.