RTL Group | Paris, 10/06/2023

An Evening Of TV In The Spirit Of Inclusion

By showing the comedy “La belle Étincelle,” M6 drew attention to a serious topic: the lack of opportunities for people with disabilities in the French labor market. The feature film aired last night, followed by two documentaries on the same subject.

In Paris, a city far from lacking in special restaurants, there is one that definitely deserves this designation: the “Étincelle”. Located in the 15th arrondissement on the left bank of the Seine, with the Tour Montparnasse skyscraper as an unmistakable landmark, this restaurant is staffed primarily by people with disabilities – both physical and mental, in the kitchen and in service. Among them is the son of TV producer Fabrice Goldstein. And together with his colleague Priscilla Siney, he has made a feature film out of this unique fusion of inclusion and first-class cuisine, which M6 aired exclusively for the first time on French television last night.

The fictional film based on a real-life background centers on Noé, a man with autism who wishes to live out his love of cooking, his mother Virginie, who would do anything for her son, and starred chef Philippe. The latter has, however, just lost said star and in a fit of rage and disgust abandons everything. In search of an alternative – and above all a chance to quickly get back to work on his career – he signs on at the “Belle Étincelle,” which Virginie has opened to help Noel realize his lifelong dream. But for Philippe this step turns out to be less the hoped-for steppingstone back into the world of celebrity chefdom than the cause of a very fundamental change in the top chef’s inner life.

The film stars Mélanie Doutey, Bernard Campan and Gauthier Gagnière, while other roles are played by employees of the real “Étincelle”. This matches the intention behind the film: M6 wants to use the feature film to draw attention to the very real problem of the still-inadequate inclusion of people with disabilities in the primary labor market. Even now, less than one percent of people with disabilities find employment here. Says producer Priscilla Siney: “We believe, and we know from other projects, that many important messages can be conveyed very well through comedy. Even if this is a very personal story, we were able to use it to tell a universally valid narrative that should reach a large number of people with the topic of social and professional integration of young people. We’re thrilled that the M6 team got excited about this story very quickly and joined us on our adventure.”

Beyond the 90-minute feature film, M6 devoted all of yesterday’s TV evening to the topic of inclusion: Later that evening, two documentaries followed, first at 10:55 p.m. “Salariés hors normes: Leur différence fait la différence” (Employees Outside the Norm: Their Difference Makes the Difference) and then, from midnight, “La brigade extraordinaire” (The Extraordinary Brigade).