FRANCE, 20 YEARS OF AN EXCLUSION LAW
a film by dhia ben naser
FRANCE - 1:08
a film by dhia ben naser – executive producer ubaydah abu-usayd – with the participation of lila levy, alma levy, chaima, assma, aissadiallo, ismahane chouder, karima djennane haouchene, foulemata, shehrazade, nawel – cinematographer dhia ben naser, ubaydah abu-usayd – additional shots lahcen hajouj – editing dhia ben naser, sofiane essaid sound mixing audio tim dolbear
Synopsis
March 15, 2004, just 20 years ago, the law on religious symbols in public schools was introduced, after provoking debate, controversy and the expulsion of a number of high school girls. This film goes to meet some of them, including Lila and Alma Levy, who were the focus of media attention at the time. 20 years on, how do these girls see what happened?
the director
Dhia Ben Naser
Initially interested in writing, Dhia Ben Naser linked art and expression from the age of eleven. He initially turned to poetry and rap. His interest in Malcolm X and African-American culture resonated with the situation of immigrant children in France. In his neighborhood of Haie Griselle in Boissy-Saint-Léger, he founded a hip-hop collective and produced several rap albums while setting up his own studio from 2007 to 2014.
Besides this art of storytelling, he also learned the art of investigating and researching. This naturally led him to documentary filmmaking. In 2012, he went to Bosnia with university friends and discovered a passion for producing films that tell the story of human history and destiny, particularly the history of Muslim civilization. This desire soon turned into an ambitious project, which he developed with his Repères & Vocations collective: A documentary series called "Unexpected Muslims".
Three documentaries were produced: Le Chemin de Sarajevo (Bosnia), Sur la Trace des Huis (China) and Somos Musulmanes (Mexico). A new documentary on Ethiopia is currently in the make, and is scheduled for release in 2024.
English 
French