Distributor La Vingt-Cinquième Heure has acquired the French rights to the politically sensitive drama ‘You Resemble Me’ by Egyptian-American director Dina Amer. The film tells the story of Hasna Aït Boulahcen, who was wrongly believed in 2015 to be Europe’s first female suicide bomber.
The film is a deeply researched character study of the young Muslim woman who was linked to the terrorist attacks in Paris in November 2015, even though she did not participate. Aït Boulahcen died in an anti-terrorism attack along with her cousin Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who was one of the leaders of the coordinated attacks that killed 130 people in the French capital, including 90 at the Bataclan theater.
In a show of support, respected French author Claire Denis (“High Life”) is boarding “You Resemble Me” as executive producer. Denis will also participate in on-stage conversations with Amer during the film’s French theater performance this fall.
“You Resemble Me,” which positively world premiered at the 2021 Venice Film Festival and went on to win a slew of awards on the festival circuit, is also executive produced by Spike Lee, Spike Jonze, Riz Ahmed and Alma Har’el.
The release of ‘You Resemble Me’ in France will provide a basis for ‘talkback sessions’ that aim to ‘raise awareness on the issue of preventing radicalisation’, a statement said. Last year, a verdict was delivered in the highly emotional, almost ten-month long so-called ‘trial of the century’ over the 2015 Paris terror attacks, for which Salah Abdeslam – the only person directly involved in the planning who is still alive – received a verdict. the harshest punishment under French law.
Based on extensive research by Amer, an award-winning journalist, this powerful drama reconstructs the roots of Islamic radicalization in France by portraying the chaotic youth of Aït Boulahcen. She grew up in a deprived suburb of Paris, where she lived with her younger sister, with whom she had a strong bond, and her dysfunctional mother, originally from Morocco. After being caught by police for stealing food from a market stall, she and her sister were separated and placed in separate foster homes, even though they wanted to stay together.
Aït Boulahcen grew up with a feeling of loneliness, alienation and longing to be loved and belong somewhere. She was eventually lured into joining a terror cell by her cousin after seeing sensational media reports about the mass shooting of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in January 2015.
She died three days after the attacks at the Bataclan concert hall in an explosion in the Paris suburbs that occurred when another suspect detonated his explosives-filled vest.
“We are very happy and honored to present this incredibly powerful film by Dina Amer,” said Pierre-Emmanuel Le Goff, CEO of La Vingt-Cinquième Heure, in a statement. “As a French distributor, we know how much the 2015 attacks have marked our country and what responsibility we have to address this topic and discuss it with the public.”
Amer commented: “At this moment when the whole world is paying attention to what is happening on the streets in France, we feel it is urgent for people to come to the theaters and see our film. We want this film to be a unity.”
She continued: “We are thrilled that the film has had a successful, widespread international release in countries such as the US, UK and the Middle East, but France is the main place where it will be received. This film is for all young people, especially young people of color who feel isolated, marginalized and singled out by police.”
‘You Resemble Me’ stars Mouna Soualem, Sabrina Ouazani, Lorenza Grimaudo, Ilonna Grimaudo, Dina Amer, Grégoire Colin and Zinedine Soualem. It is produced by Amer, Elizabeth Woodward at WILLA and Karim Amer.
