This series project "is a way to repeatedly confront the trauma I experienced as a child. I also see it as a help in trying to grow, in knowing how to face my fears."

This is according to Farouk Kassam, now 42, who in 1992, at the age of seven, was kidnapped from his home in Sardinia and held captive for nearly six months, even having his ear partially cut off to expedite the ransom payment. This shocking news event is recounted in "177 Days: The Kidnapping of Farouk," the series directed by Carlo Carlei, starring Marco Bocci and Antonia Desplat, which premiered at the Rome Film Fest and will air on Rai 1 in prime time from November 16th. Marco Bocci and Antonia Desplat star (as the child's parents, Fateh Kassam, and Marion Bleriot), in a cast that includes Filippo Papa (Farouk's cultured character), Rosa Diletta Rossi, Domenico Diele, Mauro Addis, Andrea Tedde, Giacomo Fadda, Rose Aste, Leonardo Capuano, Enrico Inserra, and Stefania Olivicore.

The story (produced by Rai Fiction and Bim Produzione, a Wild Bunch Group company) is based on the book My Son Farouk: Anatomy of a Kidnapping, written by Fateh Kassam with the collaboration of Marco Corrias.

"Riccardo (Russo, the producer) insisted so much on having me part of this project of his," adds Farouk Kassam, now an entrepreneur, "five years ago. It was a bit difficult at first. It's one thing to make a documentary or a TV show, but in a series you have to try to represent reality as much as possible. It was inspired by the book my father wrote. We met, of course, with the entire team, with the actors... there were several moments when we discussed things. If I had been in their shoes, I would have taken even more advantage of my availability, but that's okay."

Marco Bocci

Marco Bocci, the series' protagonist, said: "From my own personal and intimate perspective, I sought a deeply respectful approach. A very intelligent choice by the screenwriters was to decide not to tell what happened from the child's perspective, because portraying his suffering would have been impossible. We chose to tell everything from the perspective of the family, the community, the historical period, and the investigation. A wise decision, in my opinion, that could somehow convey what those people truly experienced."

Bocci, in the story, plays the child's father and had the opportunity to get to know both Farouk and his parents through the series: "From the beginning, I never wanted to ask direct, specific questions; I always waited and respected the moment they wanted to talk to me. I found a wonderful family who opened up, who trusted me, who welcomed me, and who, of their own free will, confided in me so many emotions and so many uncertainties."

The director

According to Carlei, "this series tells the story of the contrast between the two sides of Sardinia: the wealthy one, the Costa Smeralda and the construction boom, the villas, the yachts, and the inland Barbagia." This dichotomy "contains the ethical and moral core that guided me throughout the filming." Another important element, for the director, was showing "the imagination of a child. It's something that's part of me. I've always created stories with children as protagonists, and the tale of violated childhood is a common thread in all my work."

(Unioneonline)

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