Arquivo

A frightened young Frenchman, his violent racist colleagues, an educated Algerian student, a scrupulous police sergeant, an obstinate journalist, daring FLN (National Front for the Liberation of Algeria) militants, a mere teacher, and a cruel chief of police are characters in real fact. The film presents their different points of view concerning the bloodshed in a confrontation in the streets of Paris between the 20 thousand peaceful members of the FLN and the police, on the night of October 17, 1961. That night, hundreds of Algerian demonstrators were assassinated by the French police. They were protesting against the imprisonment of 11 thousand Algerians by Maurice Papon, the Paris Chief of Police. The imprisonment occurred when the President of France, Charles de Gaulle, was negotiating an end to the Algerian war and the terms of independence for the country. This part of history has been omitted from French school books for over forty years.