Picture of the film NOS FRANGINS (OUR BROTHERS) by Rachid BOUCHAREB © 3b
Rachid Bouchareb revives the memory of Malik Oussekine in Nos Frangins (Our Brothers)
His filmography pays tribute to North African immigrants in France and their story. After Indigènes (Days of Glory) and Hors-la-loi (Outside of the Law), selected in Competition, Rachid Bouchareb unveils Nos Frangins (Our Brothers) in Cannes Première, a film featuring Reda Kateb, Lyna Khoudri and Raphaël Personnaz.
The Malik Oussekine case caused a stir throughout France in 1986. In the early-morning hours of December 6, Malik was walking home from a Jazz concert through the 6th Arrondissement of Paris, where students were protesting the Devaquet Law. The police took him for a troublemaker and chased the young man, who took refuge in the lobby of a building, where they then beat him to death.
That same night, a few kilometers to the north, another man, Abdel Benyahia, also lost his life. The scene took place in a bar, where a drunk police officer drew his weapon and aimed at the young man's heart.
At that time, Rachid Bouchareb was a young director working with SOS Racisme. He remembers, "Everyone was wondering what was to become of all these children born from immigration and the place they would have in society."
“The same debate on integration has taken place for the 1st generation, the 2nd generation, the 3rd generation…and we can plainly see that between 1985 and today, nothing has really changed.”
With Nos Frangins (Our Brothers), Rachid Bouchareb creates a fictional account of the event, which is supported by true facts and testimony from the victims' families. The character of inspector Mattei, who works for the Inspectorate General of the police force, is purely fictional. He is used to link the two cases and provide a body and voice to the law enforcement establishment, which tries for a while to cover up its mistakes.
