The terrible Mister Assad, dictator who fights his own people
Thanks to the testimonies of his relatives and former executives of the regime, the film tells the rise of a man who was not supposed to be president and deciphers a system that resembles that of the Mafia. With its godfathers, its settling of scores, and its billions in dirty money.
Bashar El-Assad received Syria as an inheritance from his father, Hafez El-Assad. He is the one who built this iron dictatorship that has held the country for nearly 50 years.
The film also explores the passionate ties that unite France and Syria. Leading French political figures, former ministers and diplomats, take us behind the scenes of this tumultuous relationship. A relationship that the story of Bashar El-Assad perfectly symbolises.
French presidents Jacques Chirac and then Nicolas Sarkozy initially considered him a valuable ally and rolled out the red carpet for him. Before bitterly regretting it.
Directed by Christophe Widemann
