25.01.2019

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov: "I will definitely watch this film!"

Yesterday, Kirsan Nikolayevich visited the editorial board of kirsan.today. After discussing the latest news, he said that in October 2019 a new film about chess starring Gerard Depardieu would be released. The film is titled “Fahim”. It is a story of an immigrant with an almost happy ending. Now we will briefly tell you what this film is about.

Fahim Mohammad is a young chess player from Bangladesh who immigrated to France. The story of his life is the theme of the upcoming film "Fahim" starring Gerard Depardieu. In general, Fahim is a very real character. Here are some facts about his life.

 A boy from Bangladesh found himself in exile in Paris with his father, an illegal immigrant. Thanks to the ancient game, the boy won the national chess championship and was awarded in France.

Despite all the hardships, frequent ups and downs and changing luck, Fahim, having a high rating and a FIDE Master title, steadily kept up with his chess profession that life and passion had bestowed upon him.
After his impressive entrance to the French chess stage in 2012, when he was 11 years old, he became a French national champion while an illegal immigrant and a member of the national youth team representing France at several international tournaments. He repeatedly reached the podium, and the following year he won the World Schools Championship Under-13.
The father of Fahim, Nura, a chess player himself, taught his son in chess at a very early age. By the time Fahim was six years old, he had won his first tournament in Calcutta, India, and was recognized as a chess prodigy already in his own country, where he was featured on TV and in the newspapers.
But Fahim’s real chess career began when one of the best French coaches, Xavier Parmentier, became interested in him. It was Xavier who played a key role in shaping Fahim’s chess career. Xavier not only directed Fahim’s chess moves, but also tried his best to instigate the immigration process for his protégée to obtain French residency. He instigated a campaign in the media and was tireless in this.
In general, it is almost a fairy tale with a happy ending but not quite so. On April 30, 2016, Xavier Parmentier died of cancer at the age of 52. For Fahim it was a terrible blow.
The touching story of Fahim was directed by Pierre-Francois Martin-Laval. In the role of Xavier Parmentier, as you remember, had been cast a wonderful French actor Gerard Depardieu.