MARION FOREVER / Marion 13 ans pour toujours

North American Premiere • TV Movie • Drama • France, 2016

Blu-ray • Color • 97 min

Directed by: Boulem Guerdjou
Written by: Lorraine Lévy
Based on the book by: Nora Fraisse, Jacqueline Remy
Produced by: Thomas Anargyros, Edouard de Vésinne (EuropaCorp Television), France 3, TV5 Monde
Cast: Julie Gayet (Nora), Fabrizio Rongione (David), Luàna Bajrami (Marion)
International Sales: EuropaCorp Television
Original Broadcast: France 3, September 26, 2016

Director Bourlem Guerdjou’s Danbé  (COLCOA Audience TV Movie Award 2015) looked at the special obstacles immigrants can face when seeking justice in France. Now he turns his eye toward a different kind of justice. In 2013, teenager Marion Fraisse hanged herself in her bedroom. Beside her, a symbolic gesture:  she had hanged her cell phone as well. As a student, Marion may have been too good for her own good. This made her a target for taunts and teasing. School recess became a special kind of hell. The hostility and relentless insults turned to death threats when she denounced a fellow student who struck a teacher. Looking for an outlet in Facebook only gave her tormentors another avenue to bully. Adapted from the book by Jacqueline Rémy and Marion’s mother Nora Fraisse, Lorraine Lévy’s screenplay tells Nora’s story as she tries to redeem her daughter’s senseless death by looking for responsibility and raising awareness of the real dangers of school bullying.