After an accident leaves actor Fatsah Bouyahmed with memory loss, previously unseen archival footage from Aubervilliers – the housing estate on the outskirts of Paris where he grew up – begins to reconnect him with both his personal past and the collective memory of his community. Filmed in the 1980s during an ambitious urban renewal project, the images capture a neighbourhood striving to improve its living conditions and imagine a better future.
As Fatsah revisits the footage forty years later, memories of family, friendship, music, and daily life resurface alongside the social tensions of the time: rising racism, inequality, and exclusion. Moving between past and present, ‘Auber 89’ revisits a fleeting moment of hope before disillusionment reshaped the Parisian suburbs, while the textures of television and VHS ground the story in the sensory world of the 80s.
SCREENINGS & AWARDS
World Premiere: Giornate degli Autori – Notti Veneziane 2026
PRESS
Reviews: Deadline – Acquisition Announcement
DIRECTOR’S BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY
Giuseppe Schillaci
Giuseppe Schillaci was born in Palermo and lives in Paris. He is the author of two novels, L’anno delle ceneri (2010) and L’età definitiva (2015), and is an editor at the literary blog Nazione Indiana. He also contributes to the French literary journals Revue Littéraire and Atelier du Roman, as well as the Canadian journal Les Écrits.
As a filmmaker, Schillaci made his debut with The Cambodian Room – Situazioni con Antoine D’Agata (2009), which won the Special Jury Prize at the Torino Film Festival. His subsequent documentaries include Cosmic Energy Inc. (2011), selected for Hot Docs; Apolitics Now (2013), winner of the Italian Docs London Award and the Audience Award at SalinaDocFest; and Il Modernissimo di Bologna (2022), which premiered at the Torino Film Festival and won Best First Film at PriMed in Marseille.
His first feature documentary, Bosco Grande (2024), premiered at Giornate degli Autori during the Venice Film Festival and went on to win Best Film at SalinaDocFest and the Grand Prix of the French Competition at FIPADOC in Biarritz. He also teaches writing and filmmaking workshops at film schools and the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia.
Filmography
2026 Auber 89 (doc)
2024 Bosco Grande (doc)
2022 Il Modernissimo di Bologna (doc)
2021 Zabut (short)
2019 Transhumance (VR, short)
2017 Tranzicion – arte e potere in Albania (doc)
2016 L’ombra del padrino – ricerche per un film (doc)
2013 Apolitics Now – tragicommedia di una campagna elettorale (doc)
2011 Cosmic Energy Inc. (doc)
2009 The Cambodian Room – situazioni con Antoine D’Agata (doc)
CREDITS
Directed by Giuseppe Schillaci
Written by Giuseppe Schillaci, Gabrielle Culand
Editing Christine Bouteiller
Original Soundtrack Thibault Frisoni
Sound Editing and Mixing Florence Hermitte
DOP Zoltan Hauville
Sound Recordist Maya Rosa
Post-production & Color Grading Antonio Carola
Producers Véronique Holley, Raffaele Ventura
Production company Label Vidéo
Co-producers Revolver (Paolo Maria Spina), Via93 (Sylvain Poubelle & Bruno Niepceron), Entre 2 Prises (Pierre-Jean Bartheye)
WITH THE SUPPORT OF
Région Île-de-France (in partnership with CNC), Procirep – Société des producteurs & Angoa, Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée, Fonds Images de la Diversité, Agence Nationale de la Cohésion des territoires
PRODUCER’S BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY
Véronique Holley
French producer based in Montreuil and a founding member of Label Vidéo. She specializes in creative documentaries and hybrid films with a strong social and political dimension.
Her work has focused extensively on collaborations with filmmakers from Francophone Africa, supporting independent voices in often complex production contexts. She has developed solid expertise in international co-production and in guiding projects from development through to completion and distribution.
Among her recent productions, she co-produced The Specter of Boko Haram by Cameroonian filmmaker Cyrielle Raingou, a debut feature documentary that has been widely acclaimed and awarded at major international festivals.
At Label Vidéo, Véronique Holley is involved in the development and production of auteur-driven films intended for both festival circulation and broadcast. Her approach combines strong editorial commitment, international collaboration, and careful attention to the ethical and artistic integrity of each project. Her background as a film editor also allows her to work closely with directors during the post-production process.
PRODUCTION COMPANY
Label Vidéo, founded in 1986, has gradually shaped a distinctive approach to documentary production, placing creativity at the heart of its work. The company welcomes projects from all horizons, selecting them through an instinctive and emotional process —what they describe as a true “love at first sight.”
Driven by a strong sense of commitment, Label Vidéo is particularly attentive to filmmakers who offer a singular and insightful perspective on the world. Supporting directors is central to their philosophy, with close collaboration at every stage of the filmmaking process—from development and writing through to shooting and editing. This support often unfolds over time, a deliberate choice that reflects their dedication to giving each project the space it needs to fully develop.
With an eclectic catalogue, Label Vidéo explores a broad spectrum of subjects, ranging from social and political issues to music, cinema, the environment, history, science, and the arts.
Label Vidéo
2 rue Paul Eluard
93100 Montreuil France
labelvideo@free.fr
+33 1 43 63 13 95
http://www.labelvideo.fr
CO-PRODUCTION COMPANY
Revolver
Italy
paolo@revolverfilm.it
https://www.revolverfilm.it/english/company.html
vià 93
France
redaction@via93.tv
Entre 2 Prises
France
contact@entre2prises.fr
01 42 87 73 06
https://www.entre2prises.fr
