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They arrived in a country that wanted to increase its population by turning every newcomer into a Frenchman. But they would experience the worst period of rejection of foreigners in French history.
They were blamed for the crisis that hit France, when production levels fell and unemployment rose. So, these foreign workers were sent back to the border or found they had only restricted access to liberal professions.
They lived through the parenthesis of the Popular Front and social laws for all, French and foreigners alike, and they experienced the first internment camps as, first, the Daladier government then Vichy preferred to treat them with suspicion rather than fight the roots of the perils.
Nevertheless, they took up arms joining the ranks of the resistance in the name of the values of the republic, hoping that at liberation, their role would at last be recognized.
These are the stories of this episode, told by the protagonists’ children and grandchildren.
Click here to watch the beginning of eps. 2 (in French)!
AVAILABLE FOR SCREENING: French version only
Festivals and Awards:
* 2019: Series nominated for “Best Use of Footage in a History Production” at FOCAL Awards, taking place on June 20th at The Troxy in London
* 2019: Eps. 2 "Caught up in Turmoil" selected for best history documentary by 'Magazine Histoire' who selects each year works that honour history.
* 2019: "Best French TV Documentary 2018", awarded on 28 Jan. by the 'Syndicat Français de la Critique de Cinéma' (French cinema critics' syndicate) in Paris.