Abdallah is a fictional character. He is played by Hichem Bouzaini, an inmate at the Salon-de-Provence prison. In front of the camera, Abdallah comes out of prison and finds freedom. But, behind the screen, Hichem Bouzaini remains in prison. He acted as an actor in a short film produced with other inmates and guards.
“The feeling of being released made me think about my family, the future project I have and the fact that life goes on. I’ve been in prison for several years. But, my real life she’s on the outside. That’s why this film, this project, gives me a lot of hope.”he confides.
Nine short films were made in eight prisons in the region. This is the first edition of the Hors-Champ competition. In total, 72 inmates and 30 guards and administration staff are taking part in this project with one ambition: to create social ties.
This is explained by Julien Troullioud, cultural coordinator of the interregional management of prison services in Marseille. “We want to make a link between the activities that there are in prisons but also to make a link with the outside world”he notes.
While some prisoners have shone in front of the camera, like Hichem, others have played a more discreet but equally important role in the making of a film. Saïd Abdou, who was not thrilled at first by the cinematographic project, let himself be convinced to be a sound engineer. He loved the experience.
“You learn a trade on the job”
Saïd Abdou, detained at the Aix-Luynes penitentiary center
“They said to me: ‘Are you helping us?’ And I, in the form of a joke, I answered: ‘If you want, I can be a pole vaulter’. I had arm cramps. It’s true that you have to be close to the sound, close to the actors, to move around. There is a whole accompaniment. You learn a trade on the job”smiles Said.
For many inmates who, like him, suffer from depression from confinement, this Hors-Champ festival is also a wonderful bubble of oxygen.