''The Marchers'' (french: La Marche) is a 2013 French

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

film by

Nabil Ben Yadir Nabil Ben Yadir is a Belgian actor, film director, and screenwriter. Career Ben Yadir made his feature-length directorial debut in 2009 with ''The Barons'', which he also co-wrote with Laurent Brandenbourger and Sébastien Fernandez. The film wa ...

. It is loosely based on the events surrounding the 1983 March for Equality and Against Racism. The film's release in November 2013 coincided with the 30th anniversary of the march.

Plot

In 1983 France, teenaged Mohamed is shot by a policeman, but survives. Rejecting his friends' proposal of violent retribution, he proposes political action inspired by Martin Luther King Jr. and

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

. With two friends, and support from Dubois, the priest of Minguettes, they embark on a non-violent March for Equality and Against Racism from

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

Cast

Tewfik Jallab Tewfik Jallab (born 9 January 1982) is a French actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, r ...

as Mohamed *

Vincent Rottiers Vincent Rottiers (born 17 June 1986) is a French actor. He has appeared in more than thirty films since 2002. He is the older brother of actor Kévin Azaïs. Filmography References External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rottiers, Vinc ...

as Sylvain *M'Barek Belkouk as Farid *Nader Boussandel as Yazid *

Lubna Azabal Lubna Azabal (born 15 August 1973) is a Belgian actress of Moroccan– Spanish descent. Career Azabal was born on 15 August 1973 in Brussels to a Moroccan father and a Spanish mother.Hafsia Herzi Hafsia Herzi (born 25 January 1987) is a French actress and film director. She is best known for her debut role in the award-winning Franco-Tunisian feature ''The Secret of the Grain'' for which she won the award for most promising actress at the ...

as Monia *

Olivier Gourmet Olivier Gourmet (born 22 July 1963) is a Belgian actor. Gourmet was born in Namur. He won the Best Actor award at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival for his role in '' Le Fils'' by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. He also appeared in '' La Promess ...

as Dubois *

Charlotte Le Bon Charlotte Le Bon (born 4 September 1986) is a Canadian actress, artist, former model and television presenter. She is known for her work in the Canal+ talk show '' Le Grand Journal'', and the films '' Yves Saint Laurent'', '' The Hundred-Foot J ...

as Claire * Philippe Nahon as René Ledu * Jamel Debbouze as Hassan * Malik Zidi as Philippe, the RG *

Simon Abkarian Simon Abkarian (Armenian: Սիմոն Աբկարյան, born March 5, 1962) is a French-Armenian actor. Life and career Born in Gonesse, Val d'Oise, of Armenian descent, Abkarian spent his childhood in Lebanon. He moved to Los Angeles, wher ...

as Farid's father *

Corinne Masiero Corinne Masiero (born 3 February 1964) is a French actress. She was born in Douai. She began acting in her late 20s, initially appearing in the theatre before moving on to the screen. She is best known for her lead role in the 2012 film '' Louise ...

as Dominique * Rufus as François,

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

* Benjamin Lavernhe as Thomas *

Kévin Azaïs Kévin Azaïs (born 1992) is a French actor. He is best known for his performance in the film ''Love at First Fight'' (''Les Combattants''), for which he won a César Award for Most Promising Actor and a Lumières Award for Most Promising Actor. ...

as Rémi *Françoise Miquelis as

Georgina Dufoix Georgina Dufoix (born Georgina Nègre on 16 February 1942) is a French politician, who served as Minister of Social Affairs and National Solidarity from 1984 to 1986, in the government of Laurent Fabius Laurent Fabius (; born 20 August 194 ...

Finnegan Oldfield Finnegan Oldfield (born 10 January 1991) is a French-British actor, who has appeared in more than thirty films since 2003. Background Career In 2005, age 14, Oldfield landed the lead role in the TV film '' L'Île Atlantique''. He dropped out ...

as Radio Host

Comparison to historical events

Answering a question about taking "liberties with the narration when telling a true story", director and co-writer Ben Yadir said: "You focus on the great History: the towns, the march of the torches, the return to

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

, the , all these images that pull you back to reality... But at the start in

Marseilles Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

, there was a group of 32, and we obviously could not make a movie with 32 characters. We thus created 10 characters around which we built short stories."

Release

''The Marchers'' had theatrical showings in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

as part of the Rendez-vous with French Cinema series 2014 program.

Reception

Boyd van Hoeij of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...

'' said " e film’s message of equality is loud and sincere but Yadir, here directing his second feature, struggles to maintain a workable entente between the downbeat story ..with misplaced-feeling broad humor." Peter Debruge of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' called it "uplifting story of racial tolerance hichshould travel well." ''

Le Parisien ''Le Parisien'' (; French for "The Parisian") is a French daily newspaper covering both international and national news, and local news of Paris and its suburbs. It is owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, better known as LVMH. Histor ...

'' gave it a positive review.

Accolades

References

External links

* * *
''La marche''
at Allocine * (with English subtitles) {{DEFAULTSORT:Marchers, The 2013 films 2010s political comedy-drama films French comedy-drama films 2010s French-language films 2010s Arabic-language films Films about racism Drama films based on actual events Political films based on actual events Films set in Paris Films set in France Films set in the 1980s Films shot in France Anti-racism in France Films about activists Films scored by Stephen Warbeck 2013 comedy films 2013 drama films 2013 multilingual films French multilingual films Belgian multilingual films 2010s French films