A suspense-ridden story about a group of children travelling across occupied France to reach the Swiss border. A film about courage and perseverance, portraying events through the eyes of child refugees.
A headstrong and extremely courageous girl, the twelve-year old Fanny heads a group of eight Jewish youngsters fleeing Nazi-occupied France, where danger lurks round every corner. They are dispatched by train towards the Swiss border. Focusing on their arduous journey, the kids are shown as cunning, intrepid and independent migrants who nevertheless overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles by developing solidarity and a sense of belonging.
“I wanted to tell a story of liberation but speeded up. As the heart of the film evokes the passage from childhood to adolescence and the emotional experiences of these young heroes: the anguish of separation, the fear of the unknown, of forgetting, – which Fanny fights with her camera –, and of death, but also their optimism, energy, courage and perseverance.” (Lola Doillon)
Lola Doillon
A French filmmaker who began her career as a camera assistant and assistant editor on the films of Patrice Chéreau, Jean-Pierre Mocky, and François Dupeyron. Her first feature film, Just About Love, was a Un Certain Regard official selection at Cannes in 2007.
filmography (selection)
1995 Le vide dedans moi (short)
2005 Une majorette peut en cacher une autre (short)
2005 L'habit ne fait pas la majorette (short)
2005 Faire contre mauvaise fortune, bonne majorette (short)
2006 2 filles (short)
2007 Et toi t'es sur qui? (Just About Love)
2010 Contre toi
2016 Le voyage de Fanny (Fanny's Journey)