"Marseille is first and foremost an incredible destiny", launches Hugues Nancy

• A documentary, broadcast in prime time on France 3 this Wednesday, traces the history of Marseille.

• A way to make known or rediscover the destiny of the second city of France, which is also the oldest city in the country.

She fascinates as she annoys, she delights as she saddens… and she was well worth a documentary on her tormented destiny, and in prime time on a national channel, please.

This Wednesday, France 3 inaugurates its cycle of documentaries devoted to the regions of France with a long film on the Marseille city, entitled

.

A story told through the words of around twenty people from Marseille, some of whom are known as Akhenaton or Ariane Ascaride.

The director of this documentary, Hugues Nancy, returns for

to this film.

Your documentary retraces the history of Marseille, from antiquity to the present day, through a first-person account.

Why ?

We wanted to make Marseille a heroine, as if she were a very old woman who could speak.

It must be remembered that Marseille was Marseille long before France was France.

There is something that comes under the order of a unique destiny.

It is very rare in Europe that a city has an identity almost stronger than its country.

Marseille is first and foremost an incredible destiny.

It tells our story to all.

Being the first French port, it was the refuge of all those who wanted to flee, it was the crossroads of civilizations.

It therefore has a fascinating history from the historical point of view.

Geographically, Marseille is surrounded by mountains, which makes it almost an enclave in Provence.

And finally, when we look at its sociological composition, we consider today that Marseille is unique in France.

Half of the Marseillais come from southern countries, whether Italy, Spain, Armenia, Turkey or the Maghreb.

Marseille is an almost mythical city, with a history that is legendary.

When the documentary was previewed there on Monday, there was a bit of mistrust.

We said to ourselves: “Who is this Parisian who talks about Marseille?

In the end, there were a lot of emotions in the room, and if I can teach things through the documentary, it's won!

You do not hide the dark sides of this story, in particular clientelism...

We had to tell Marseille as it is, but also as we imagine it.

The black legend of Marseille was born in the 19th century and will also continue sporadically.

The settling of scores today maintains this frightening image.

And this legend returns cyclically.

We note that clientelism appeared from the beginning of the 19th century and was very present in the city.

And because it is a port that welcomes many poor people, it is the ideal place for the organization of prosperous traffic.

It's part of the history of this city, and my job is to tell the story of Marseille as objectively as possible to the whole of France.

Why did you call on Clara Luciani for the voiceover for this documentary?

From the moment we decided that Marseille would speak in this documentary, I said to myself that we had to do something original.

We wanted someone who knows how to place his voice, so a singer or an actor.

And we also wanted someone who has a strong attachment to Marseille.

I heard Clara Luciani say one day, in concert in Marseilles, that she was happy to be at home.

She lived in Septème-les-Vallons, just next door, and did part of her studies in this city which is very important to her.

It's a surprising choice but she accepted right away.

And I find that her candor, her innocence of the fact that she has never done that, works very well with the story of Marseille that we are telling.

Society

Marseille: An exhibition traces the history of "La Marseillaise"

Marseilles

"Marseille, a cursed city, is two poles, rejection and attraction", explains a sociologist

• Documentary

• France 3

• Marseilles

• Paca