00:00They shed their blood for a country that treated them like second-class soldiers.
00:04They fought for France and we're going to talk about the film Indigènes.
00:08As you know, it was the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and I'm going to make it
00:12one week.
00:13This film was directed by Rachid Bouchareb and was released in 2006.
00:17Indigènes tells the story of North African soldiers who joined the French army during the Second World War.
00:23The official synopsis states that approximately 130,000 people are enlisting to liberate the motherland.
00:29They fought notably in Italy, Provence and the Vosges.
00:32The film shows a reality that has long been minimized.
00:36These soldiers participated in the liberation of France but at the same time suffered contempt and racial discrimination.
00:43within the very army they are serving.
00:45They are asked to die for the Republic without being granted the same dignity or recognition as the
00:50other soldiers.
00:51At Cannes in 2006, the five main actors of the film together received the award for best actor.
00:57And most importantly, the film's release had a real political impact.
01:00In the fall of 2006, the issue of pensions for veterans from former colonies returned to the forefront with
01:06an increase announced by the French government.
01:09The film therefore not only revived a memory, it also had an impact on the public debate.
01:13This film can be linked to the colonial fracture of Pascal Blanchard, Nicolas Bancel and Sandrine Lemaire.
01:19Their thesis is clear: French society remains deeply marked by its colonial past, and this past continues to produce
01:27inequalities, oversights and tensions in the present.
01:30Indigène perfectly illustrates this idea; it shows how national memory has long rendered invisible those who did not conform to
01:37dominant narratives of liberated France.
01:39Let me know in the comments if you've seen this film and most importantly, subscribe.
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