In Paris in full German occupation in 1942, a Jewish child Isaac escapes a raid organized by the SS. He then took refuge in the Great Mosque of Paris. The imam decides to protect him by passing him off as a Muslim, as well as the other Jewish children that he manages to free with the help of the resistance networks. The French militia and the Gestapo have suspicions... This fiction film is based on the true story of the rector of the Paris mosque, Si Kaddour Benghabrit, who saved several Jews from deportation during the Second World War.
Direction
Fekrane packs a feature's worth of tension into 17 minutes.
Acting
Habib Kadi's quiet authority anchors every scene.
Director
Mohamed Fekrane
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Si Kaddour Benghabrit used Quranic teachings and forged birth certificates—some historians estimate 100+ lives saved.
The film was made for France's 'Journée de la Fraternité' in 2010, part of state efforts to highlight Muslim-Jewish solidarity.
FR
