L’histoire de Souleymane, the vision of Boris Lojkine

How did the idea for this film come to you?

During lockdown, the streets were empty and suddenly you saw nothing but them. It became obvious to me: it was one of those cycling delivery people who crisscrossed the city with their bags branded with the app they worked for. After Hope, lots of people asked me if I wanted to write what happened next: to tell the story of what fate had in store for them in France. And I wondered: what if I filmed Paris as a foreign city with unknown rules and customs? In this film, we are the other. I went with Aline Dalbis, the casting director, to meet delivery people and they told me what goes on behind the scenes in their industry. Official papers played a key role in all of their stories. The film tells the story of the two days before an interview for asylum status.

“Non-professional actors (…) come with who they are, they are carriers of their world. It’s up to me to capture their uniqueness.”

– Boris Lojkine

How did you approach the shoot?

I insisted on a really pared-down crew. Most of the time there were only five or six of us on set. No lighting. No lorries. No food truck. I wanted to get rid of all the heavy baggage of a traditional shoot. The cycling scenes are filmed from other bicycles. It was the only way for us to slip through the traffic.

How did you choose your lead character?

We had a long, open casting process, scouring the streets of Paris, meeting delivery people. In the end it was in Amiens that we met Abou Sangare, who had arrived in France seven years earlier. We were immediately taken by his presence in front of the camera. He was the one. In real life he’s a mechanic, not a delivery person. He did deliveries for several weeks to familiarize himself with the everyday activities, the bike, the phone, the app… Bit by bit, he entered into the role. That’s what I love about working with non-professional actors: they come with who they are, they are carriers of their world. It’s up to me to capture their uniqueness..

What message to you want to convey through this film?

I chose to tell the story of a man who has decided to lie. I didn’t want to make it too much of a cautionary tale, showing a good guy grappling with an awful migration policy. That’s too easy; it doesn’t make you think. I prefer asking the viewers questions: does Souleymane deserve to stay in France? Should he be given asylum? Do you think he has the right?

Can you tell us a little about your next project?

I’m currently working on writing a series set in the Brazilian Amazon in the 1980s and 90s. The series is loosely inspired by a true story. It’s about the struggle over a small territory and the survival of an isolated indigenous man, the last survivor of his people, who became known as “The Native American of the hole”.