A FRENCH YOUTH
84 min, Documentary, Canada, France, 2024Directed byJérémie Battaglia
Produced byLes Films Extérieur Jour, Les productions du Lagon, 13Prods
LanguageFrench
Film details
Synopsis
In the south of France, in the heart of the Camargue, an ancient and little-known tradition takes place. In the region’s arenas, young men dressed in white confront bulls in a dangerous and impressive face-off. Much more than a traditional sport, this fight without killing the bull offers many young people from North African immigrant backgrounds the chance to take their place in the arena and in French society. Among them are Jawad and Belka, two bullfighters at a crossroads. Following a major injury, Jawad is questioning his future in the sport. Belka, on the other hand, is following in his father’s footsteps. He sees his passion as an opportunity to escape an uncertain future and realize his dream of becoming French champion. The film plunges us into the intimacy of these characters. Through their discreet words, they recount their reality as young French people of North African origin. Outside the arena, it’s a fight against racism they must wage.
Crew
Writer : Jérémie Battaglia
Cinematography: Jérémie Battaglia
Sound : Jérémie Battaglia, Fabrice Malivel
Editing : Andrea Henriquez
Sound Designer : Marie-Pierre Grenier
Sound Mixer : James Duhamel
Music : Armand Glowinski
Protagonists : Jawad Bakloul, Belkacem Benhammou, Tito Sanchez; Rachida Benhammou, Mohamed Benhammou, Julia Rodriguez, Mehdi Ait Idir
Production : Amélie Lambert Bouchard & Elodie Pollet (Les Films Extérieur Jour), Valérie Dupin (Les productions du Lagon), Cyrille Perez & Gilles Perez (13Prods)
Direction
Jérémie Battaglia
French-Canadian filmmaker based in Montreal where he co-founded the production company Extérieur Jour, Jérémie Battaglia defines himself as an admirer of ordinary heroes. In his films, he explores themes of adversity, the body, and its limits, as seen in works like Perfect, The brother (HotDocs 2020, Best Documentary Short Film at the 2021 Prix du cinéma québécois, nominated for Canadian Screen Awards), and ADONIS. He gained recognition in 2012 with the documentary short film Pots and pans about the student protests in Quebec, which quickly went viral. He has since collaborated with the National Film Board of Canada on several award-winning web documentary projects. Through his films, he seeks to explore the form of his medium, often collaborating with artists from other disciplines such as animation, theater, dance, or music. He co-directed the circus film The sum of our dreams with Johanne Madore, and the dance film The goddam milky way with Mélanie Demers, both selected in numerous festivals. A French Youth is his second feature-length documentary, premiered at Hot Docs festival in 2024.
Filmography
A FRENCH YOUTH, 84 min, Documentary, 2024
ADONIS, 52 min, Documentary, 2024
THE GODDAM MILKY WAY, 16 min, Dance film, 2023
THE SUM OF OUR DREAMS, Art film,77 min, 2022
THE COST OF FREE WATER, Documentary, 52 min, 2021
THE BROTHER, 28 min, Documentary, 2019
WHAT HAVE WE DONE WITH OUR VACATIONS?, 52 min, Documentary, 2019
PERFECT, 78 min, Documentary, 2016
YOU, ME AND THE CHARTER, Webdocumentary, 2013
THE SPRING AFTER, Webdocumentary, 2013
THE WEIGHT OF A VOICE, Webdocumentary, 2012
POTS AND PANS, 4 min, Documentary, 2012