Furcy, born free seen by Abd al Malik and Makita Samba
Abd al Malik devotes his second feature to Furcy, a slave from Reunion who led a 26-year fight to gain his freedom, brilliantly played by Makita Samba. Dialogue between a director and his main actor.
What makes you want to dedicate a film to Furcy and why is it important to you to talk about him today?
Abd al Malik: I feel, deep down, that there are moments in our collective stories that echo moments in each of our individual stories. In recent years, we have been going through a moment where we talk a lot about democracy, principles, values… but we see them little in reality, and I would even say less and less. We talk about ethics, deontology but we rarely apply these beautiful principles, And in a certain way, we, the artists, are like Greek pythians. We are upset by things that, for us, are vital. So it’s a bit like I was forced to tell this story. It was she who, deep down, came to seek me out, resonating with my struggles as an artist and with who I am as an individual in society. But also with this idea that we must no longer be in denial, that we must no longer soften things. It’s as if we were truly becoming adults: abandoning certain illusions, without giving up the idea of creating an ideal society or becoming the person we deserve to be. And to this is added an aesthetic thought for me, a deep faith in fiction, and in cinema in particular. We have moved from the graphosphere to the videosphere. The image has become central. It is no coincidence that social networks, screens or certain television channels have such power: the image acts, it affects. As artists with access to this medium, we therefore have a responsibility to also use our power in a certain way
Makita, what did you know about Furcy before getting the role?
Makita Samba: I had heard a little about him but his life had remained hidden from me before my meeting with Malik and the book by Mohammed Aïssaoui, The Furcy Slave Affairon which the film is based. In my career as an actor, I have always been looking for black characters who have experienced conditions marked by racism, sometimes ordinary, sometimes invisible. But in this book, Furcy was not reduced to his condition, we had access to his privacy. And from there, it was obviously exciting to figure out how to interpret it.
How exactly does incarnation work on both sides of the camera?
AAM: I’ve been wanting to make a film for a while that pays homage to theater without being a film about theater. Between my first film May Allah bless France in 2014 and this one, I worked a lot on stage myself. I worked this muscle. It is therefore no coincidence that all the actors I brought together have had theatrical experience: Vincent Macaigne, Romain Duris, Ana Girardot and therefore Makita, whom I actually met for the first time after a play he had just performed. The way he moved, looked, said without speaking struck me. How to represent intelligence without words? By the look, the attitude, the movement. There I knew he would be Furcy. And once the casting is finished, my job is to create the conditions, the atmosphere, the dialogue. Form a team to dream together. I am their first spectator. With this troupe, we had to make a great film. A film that goes beyond its subject. We often talk about “living together”, but what interests me is “doing together”.
MS: Everything obviously starts from the script but I also prepared a lot physically for it because it was a central element of this role. This involves both nutrition and dancing with choreographer Caroline Marcadé, who is used to working with film actors. Then, there are discussions, exchanges with Malik and the rest of the team. Malik is a big dreamer and I quickly realized that we were dreaming of the same character, of the same film. From the first to the last day, I felt carried and supported.
Was there a specific moment when you felt you had this character?
MS: You know, even when you think you have everything under control, doubt always comes up. But that’s precisely what makes the experience valuable. You have to have a philosophical, intimate and political background to enter into the frameworks that Malik created. But the makeup, the aging of the character, the body on which the deep scars left by the whippings are drawn… allow you to slip into that skin every day. Because all this preparation makes my body available for what is going to happen.
Furcy, born free. By Abd Al Malik With Makita Samba, Vincent Macaigne, Ana Girardot… Duration 1h48. Released January 14, 2026
