Documentary / 52′
For Small Planet & ERT
The “accidental” death of two teenagers at Clichy-sous-Bois touched off a series of violent riots that raged through France in November 2005. And for the unsuspecting international public opinion, from behind the ashes of thousands of torched vehicles there emerged the ghost of an unknown Europe, as well as of an unknown France, which keeps well hidden its millions of “second-class” citizens.
The camera enters the inaccessible Parisian ghettos, the heart of the riots. And it records the anger of the youths who are stifled with no recourse other than theft and drug peddling. The screen reveals for the first time to the world the armament of the rioters. Small-bore guns, automatics, sawed-off shotguns and rifles. The youths show photographs of themselves carrying machine guns…
Through searing imagery and with almost no other narrative than the lyrics of the songs of the ghetto, the documentary presents the unknown European citizens of the cités; the dark side of modern Europe, an unknown France of five million besieged and ghetto-bound citizens.
TV screening
Broadcast by the Greek public channel NET (ERT)