CHoisir à vingt ans

Between 1954 and 1962, hundreds of young French people refused to participate in the war against Algeria. These refuseniks were pacifists or anti-colonialists and some took refuge in Switzerland where citizens helped them, as opposed to France, where they were considered traitors. Some months after Algeria gained its independence, Villi Hermann went to a region devastated by war, near to the Algerian-Moroccan border, to help rebuild a school. Recently he returned there and met his former pupils as well as some French refuseniks. (Locarno Festival)