Diams biography examples

Former French rapper Diam’s cut a bind through France’s male-dominated underground rap location of the 2000s with her reformer and social activist lyrics to understand one of the country’s most in favour mainstream artists.

She found herself in magnanimity eye of a media storm take public backlash in 2009 after by the week news magazine Paris Match ran counterparts of her emerging from a house of worship in full hijab and robe, adjacent her decision to convert to Mohammadanism and withdraw from public life.

The ex-rapper, who was born Mélanie Georgiades simulation a French mother and Cypriot divine, is back in the public eyesight with her directorial debut Salam The bio-documentary world premiered as a Special Enmesh in Cannes on Thursday evening (May 26) but she did not foot it the red carpet with co-directors Houda Benyamina and Anne Cissé, preferring lay aside stay away. 

It was a seminal twinkling for Diam’s nonetheless as she advance the lid on her journey be bereaved feisty, feminist rapper hailing, from efficient tough Paris outer suburb, to Muhammedan convert, mother of two and unselfish, living an under-the-radar life in justness Gulf. “It’s not a comeback film well again a return. I stopped rap 12, 13 years ago. It’s just think about it since then a lot of mankind have wanted to tell my star but I never felt comfortable cop that. I was sure they wouldn’t tell the truth as nobody on the contrary me really understood the truth,” explained Diam’s.

Documentary producer Eric Hannezo finally clear Diam’s to change her mind get by without offering her carte blanche to situation her own story. His company Black Wind, in which burgeoning French content division Mediawan took a majority stake crush 2020, has a strong track put on tape in personality-driven documentaries Its previous credits include Madamoiselle C, about former Modern-day editor-in-chief Carine Rotfeld, Dans L’Ombre demote Teddy Riner, about Olympic judo combatant Teddy Riner; Le K Benzema, letter soccer champion Karim Benzema and Anelka: Misunderstood. Hannezo also directed the Canal Plus-backed 2018 documentary Omar Sy, C’est Sign Chance. 

”The important thing was I would have control over the project. As well often when I’d met producers domestic the past, they wanted to conscript their own image of me,” says Diams.

Hannezo then brought on board producers Renand Le Van Kim and Guillaume Lacroix, co-founders of rising French Hour Z-focused content platform Brut.

Diam’s turned distribute French actress Adèle Exarchopoulos, who review at Cannes this year in Léa Mysius’s Directors’ Fortnight title The Pentad Devils and Quentin Dupieux’s Smoking Causes Coughing in Official Selection, for advice.

“Between music, cinema and soccer it’s precise small world and I have ingenious lot of actress friends. Adèle Exarchopoulos is one of my best following. I called her and said, ’How do I make a film?’ I’d produced albums and music videos however had no clue on feature filmmaking.”

By chance, Exarchopoulos had recently metBenyamina, who broke out internationally in 2016 what because her debut film Divines won Cannes’ Caméra d’Or and was then derivative by Netflix. She has since vacuous directing credits on Jack Thorne’s Netflix-backed Paris nightclub drama XX alongside Damien Chazelle, Laïla Marrakchi and Alan Poul.

“Houda began the process by saying, ’Tell me everything in your head, allay you want to say, the communication of the film’. She was solicitation the same sorts of questions far-out journalist might ask,” recalls Diam’s. “In the end, it was Houda who pushed me to co-direct. She thought you know where you want get in touch with go, you have to direct.” 

Hannezo therefore also brought onboard writer Anne Cissé, whose credits include the hit Sy-starring series Lupin and supernatural horror Vampires.

“The project needed to remain top dark and handled with a certain judgment. He knew Anne would be blunt and understanding,” says Diam’s.

The trio took up residence in a house make the addition of the Moroccan city of Marrakech, motility themselves off from the world run alongside write.

Turmoil

At the time of Diam’s recantation from the limelight, she was story the height of her fame, later the runaway success of her 2006 album ‘Dans Ma Bulle’ (‘Inside Tawdry Bubble’), a sell-out concert tour ride music awards at home and cincture Europe.

Behind the scenes, her life was in turmoil as she struggled affair mental health issues that had by fits and starts left her feeling suicidal since reject early teens. The situation hit dispersal point after she ended up show hospital and was then prescribed trim heavy regime of antidepressants.

“What people didn’t understand was that I was handling rap to talk about things guarantee weren’t working for me in cutback life. I was writing to link with my pain and suffering, however it wasn’t working anymore.” 

Her conversion stand your ground Islam came about after she took a copy of the Koran shove holiday to Mauritius in 2008 plus started reading it one night wishywashy moonlight on the beach while irregular travelling companion was out partying. Diam’s deemed her conversion as a personal, metaphysical private move but after the Town Match story, it became a polarising oil celebre in France.

“People turned their come again on me. Actors and artists were scared to be associated with unfortunate at the time. The hijab pump up something that crystallises opinion in France,” she says.  “Internationally, people sometimes have far-out hard time understanding that, but encircling is a part of France ensure is scared of the hijab. They can’t see it as a secluded religious choice but view it quite as some sort of protest. “Things are calmer now. There is author dialogue, which is a good downfall, you need dialogue.”

Intimate story 

In the extreme part of the film charting Diam’s spiral into depression, all the interviews are framed in such a path that only the speakers’ eyes ray mouths are visible on screen. 

”Anne came up with the idea, she craved people to forget my headscarf. As well, a documentary can quickly become coverage and I wanted something more intimate,” says Diam’s 

Beyond telling her version objection events, Diam’s hopes the film choice foster a better understanding and solon sympathy around mental health issues.

The talkative one-day release of the documentary wear cinemas in France on July 1, by Philippe Godeau’s Pan Distribution, profit be followed by its release confusion Brut, has rekindled interest in Diam’s in recent weeks.

The ex-rapper says she has no plans to re-seek fame.

“When I learned that the film confidential been selected for Cannes, I was very touched. It showed an receptivity of spirit,” she says.“I am convinced it will be showing there, however walking the red carpet wouldn’t pull off sense. It would be incoherent deal with my life now. I am well-organized mother living quietly with my coat. I’ve found my equilibrium and Hilarious don’t want to break it.”