Five years ago, Marine Le Pen used her image to spread her racist ideology. Today she launched her inclusive, collective and inspiring podcast, We belongas well as We Cannes, a funding program for five films working towards greater diversity
to miss met Yasmine Ouirhranewho gave us his testimony about the harassment he suffered from the far right.
Yasmine’s journey, between the fight for an inclusive Europe and the resistance against the far right
On this occasion, the one who was crowned with the title of young European of the year 2019 took us behind the scenes of his new project, We Cannes. A program that takes its name from Barack Obama’s famous slogan and which brings together cinema talents, opening up new perspectives.
What is the genesis of We Cannes?
YO I’ll tell you a story. At 8 years old I did theatre, I dreamed of becoming an actress. One day I fell and broke two front teeth. It traumatized me, I stopped acting. But the love for cinema has never abandoned me and I swore to myself to return to it.
When I wanted to create We belong, I thought a lot about the format. As happened in conjunction with covid, only the format Audio it is imposed. But very quickly it seemed important to make a documentary. In 2021 I got in touch with Bavand Karim [Bavand Karim a notamment participé à la production de Gasoline Alley, Slayers, The Tutor, Americana, Eileen ou encore Monkey Man, N.D.L.R]. I contacted him on LinkedInI didn’t even know him. I explained to him that I wanted to highlight five stories. She talked to him and we decided to build a partnership between We belong AND CINEhis production company.
To miss. What is We Cannes?
YO Our goal is to bring together 15 million dollars to finance 5 filmsincluding a film by the Afro-Italian director Daphne Di Cinto, whose short film The Moor was nominated for an Oscar.
Our launch in Cannes brought together men and women ofIndia, China, Kenya, to make this diversity visible in cinema. In my opinion, We Belong is not Yasmine, it’s an us. For a long time I felt like I was alone. I was the only young woman of color speaking at major institutions. Other women deserve to be highlighted.
Why did you choose to convey these stories especially through cinema?
Both for its colonial past and for its diversity, France is a country of immigration. However, in the spheres of power, we do not see this diversity. Not in the media, not in European institutions, not even in films. It’s like the fact that we had to wait until 2023 to give little black girls the opportunity to identify with a Disney heroine.
To We Belong, we often say “if you see it, you can dream it” (if you see it, you can dream it) When you don’t see people doing the things you want to do, you stop yourself from doing them. They seem impossible. I am the daughter of immigrants, I come from a modest family. My grandmothers were illiterate. I spoke little French when I arrived in France. Nothing predestined me for my path. Today I turn these weaknesses into strengths and the like a responsibility towards all other women who want to make their voices heard.
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Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
