6 French TV series inspired by a true story

19/05/2023

As the behind-the-scenes secrets of TV series are about to be revealed at the 62nd edition of the Monte-Carlo Television Festival, we invite you to discover the true stories that inspired these 6 successful French series.

Lycée Toulouse-Lautrec
Lycée Toulouse-Lautrec

In this Franco-Belgian series, we follow the story of Victoire, who has to change high schools in order to be with her brother Théo, a young man who became epileptic after an accident. The episodes take place in this unique school where some students are disabled while others are able-bodied. Initially resistant, the young teenager will learn to overcome her prejudices and discover friendship, courage, solidarity, and love. This groundbreaking fiction is inspired by the experience of Fanny Riedberger, the creator and screenwriter of Lycée Toulouse-Lautrec. She told RTBF at the La Rochelle Fiction Festival that she considers herself "extremely fortunate to have lived this experience" and that she "really wanted to share it." "I had this, perhaps utopian, desire to change the perception of disabilities. Everything we don't know scares us," she explained.

Les Siffleurs
Les Siffleurs

First aired on March 8th, on the occasion of International Women's Day, this two-part miniseries is dedicated to street harassment through a thrilling police investigation. Directed by Nathalie Marchak, Les Siffleurs denounces the sexual assaults that more than 80% of women in France experience regularly. The series tells the story of Lila, the creator of an Instagram account filled with photos she takes of men harassing her on the street. But one night, the young woman played by Ludmilla Makowski disappears, leaving behind her a blood-stained dress. While the police investigation is pure fiction, it was inspired by real events: "The street harassment sequence at the beginning of episode 1 corresponds to an assault I experienced at 19," said Nathalie Marchak. "In real life, I was lucky that a police car happened to be patrolling that day. [The harassers] ran away. I was assaulted on other occasions. I never filed a complaint with the police," she recounted.

L'Homme de nos vies
L'Homme de nos vies

Aired last November, the miniseries L'Homme de nos vies portrays a con artist who seduces women to steal their money. This thriller is based, not on one, but on at least four true stories. Surgeon, airline pilot, war reporter, former trader... The character played by Jonathan Zaccaï does not hesitate to charm women before disappearing, not without having taken their savings. While the characters come straight out of the series creators’ imagination, Marie Guilmineau and Alice Van der Brock, L'Homme de nos vies rewrites the story of Simon Leviev, nicknamed the "Tinder Swindler." He used to seduce women on the dating app to get money from them. On the other hand, the French miniseries freely draws inspiration from several notorious stories, such as those of Derek Alldred, Christophe Rocancourt, and Jacques Masset.

Le Mensonge
Le Mensonge

Starring Daniel Auteuil, the miniseries Le Mensonge tells the true story of a politician who was accused of rape by his grandson, who admitted this was all a lie years later. This poignant narrative follows the story of Christian Iacono, the mayor of Vence (Alpes-Maritimes), who was caught up in the judicial system after the accusation made by his 9-year-old grandson Gabriel. The young boy claimed to have been sexually assaulted from the age of six to eight within the grandparents’ home but kept the secret out of fear of reprisals. If the politician denies it, he is still sentenced to nine years in prison in 2009 after the first trial, and then again in 2011 on appeal. During the same year, the case knows a new twist: Gabriel, now 20 years old, reveals a new version of events. The young man had indeed been raped, but not by his grandfather. "I may have made a transposition, mistaking my grandfather for someone else," he stated to Le Point.

Oussekine
Oussekine

Another mini-series, another case. Aired in May 2022 on the Disney+ platform, Oussekine explores, for the first time, the events of December 5, 1986, which led to the killing of Malik Oussekine. The young student, aged 22 at the time, died from his injuries after being beaten to death by the police. While returning home after a jazz concert, Malik Oussekine found himself in the middle of a protest. Despite his flawless behavior, the student was followed by three motorcycle police officers who chased him all the way to his lobby and beat him with kicks and batons. Directed by Antoine Chevrollier (The Bureau, Baron Noir), this production has undertaken extensive research to come as close as possible to reality. Through archival footage, testimonies, and quotes, Oussekine becomes a TV show as moving as it is masterful.

The Red Band Society
The Red Band Society

The Red Band Society is the adaptation of the Catalan series Polseres vermelles, based on the true story of Albert Espinosa Puig, its creator. Delicate and sensitive, the plot is based on his youth, during which he spent many years in the hospital because of three cancers that cost him a leg, a lung, and part of his liver. The story of Thomas, Clément, Roxanne, Medhi, Sarah, and Côme is inspired by the friendship that the author of The Red Band Society experienced during his years in hospital. Albert Espinosa Puig published his autobiographical book titled The Yellow World, which was adapted into a TV show in Spain before being picked up in different countries around the world. As a fun fact, when the creator of the series discovered that there would be a French version of his story, he learned the language in order to communicate with director Nicolas Cuche and the young actors of the program. After having captivated millions of viewers, TF1 announced that season 4 would follow other teenagers, portrayed by a whole new cast.

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