Lassana Bathily

A hero despite himself

Written and directed by Pierre Bourgeois and Pierre-Olivier François
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Until 9 January, 2015, Lassana Bathily was a young Malian like so many others: an immigrant worker with no history. Shopkeeper at the Hyper Cacher, he was waiting for his residence permit to be renewed. In a matter of seconds, his life was turned upside down....

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Lassana Bathily is born in 1990 in the west of Mali, in the small village of Samba Dramané. He is the eldest child in a large family. He arrived in Paris at the age of 16 and, like so many Malians, found himself in a poverty-stricken home in the 17th arrondissement. He qualified as a tiler and found a job as a stock boy at the Hyper Cacher store at Porte de Vincennes. He is waiting for the renewal of his residence permit, which he obtained in 2011 with the support of RESF. But 9 January 2015 was to transform his destiny.

Held hostage by Coulibaly, he managed to escape from the Hyper Cacher. Presumed a terrorist by the RAID, he went on to help them. That very evening, the French and then the international press voted him a hero. He, the Muslim, who saved the Jews! Since then, the governments of France, Mali and Israel, as well as Barack Obama, the Chief Rabbi of France, the Wiesenthal Foundation and the police forces of New York and Los Angeles, have been singing the praises of this 'Righteous Man', citing him as a reference and model citizen.

Naturalised as a French citizen by François Hollande shortly after the attacks, he now works in the sports department of Paris City Council. He is still playing football, voting for the first time and responding to numerous requests from a society in need of examples of heroes. Invited all over the world, he has become the idealized representative of successful integration and brotherhood between Jews, Muslims and Christians.

Discover the portrait of a young Malian, through the testimonies of his parents, friends, teachers, Republican godfather, former hostel director... Descendant of a Soninke family, prince without a kingdom, with a romantic destiny, and whom the collective unconscious has elected "champion": a hero despite himself.

Directed by :
Pierre Bourgeois and Pierre-Olivier François
Written by :
Pierre Bourgeois and Pierre-Olivier François
Produced by :
YAMI 2 - Christophe Nick
Broadcast :
France 2
Year of broadcast :
2020
Duration :
52 min
Watch the film

Lassana Bathily, who helped save lives during the Hyper Cacher hostage crisis in 2015, looks back on his experiences. A poignant documentary - L'Humanité

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