Sarah Saldmann recounts how François Ruffin suggested to her “Let’s get to work!” », on the set of “Quelle Époque! »

MOVIE THEATER – Get to work!the documentary by François Ruffin (and Gilles Perret) was released in theaters this week. The opportunity for the member of the environmental group to promote it on the set of What an era! on France 2 Saturday November 9, alongside lawyer Sarah Saldmann, central character in the film.

In February 2023, François Ruffin launched a challenge to the woman who is also a chronicler of Big Mouths on RMC, after she had made harsh remarks against the “ assisted » et “lazy” on air: living on minimum wage for a month. It will ultimately be a few days, summarized in 1h30 of a film which overplays the contrast between the media lawyer evolving in a wealthy environment and the people “ broken”, says François Ruffin himself.

“François Ruffin makes this proposal to me, and I say to myself: “another elected official who wants to buzz on social networks”, but I don’t think at all that it’s serious”tells Sarah Saldmann on France 2 to explain the genesis of the project.

She specifies that François Ruffin sends her two SMS messages to which she does not respond. He then sends him a DVD of his previous documentary Get up, women! (2021) “Thank you very much, I really liked the film but I don’t want to participate”she then replies.

“I had a lot of people around me who told me: “don’t do it”. And the more people told me “don’t do it”, the more I wanted to do it. (…) I was told: “it stinks of confusion””is she still having fun in What an era!. Finally she will accept.

“You’re both a little angry.”says Léa Salamé

Shortly after, Léa Salamé relaunches her two guests without taking a pinch of salt: “we're going to tell the viewers the truth: you're both a little angry. » The presenter then highlights the fact that Sarah Saldmann, “which is the common thread of the film, disappears a quarter of an hour before the end of the film”.

“You know that on October 7, I reacted with clarity when there were the massacres that were committed in the Israeli kibbutzim and I said at that time that these were terrorist acts committed by Hamas , that a life was worth a life, that the tears of an Israeli mother were worth the tears of a Palestinian mother”explains François Ruffin, before turning to the lawyer: “I can't make a humanist film here and not be humanist there. For a year, we have never heard Sarah Saldmann have a word of empathy for the children in Gaza”.

Léa Salamé immediately follows up with the lawyer: “Sarah Saldmann, I don't know if you have a word for Palestinian children, but how did you deal with being fired from the film because of your unwavering support for Israel? “.

“Ah, I had a very bad experience because I didn't see the link between the film and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I didn't really see the connection! »she defends herself. “ You know, I am not sectarian. It wasn't me who wanted to disappear from the film. When there are people who think differently from me, I confront ideas, I don't say: “No, you leave”… In any case, I accept it because I have no choice. Then do I understand it? I don't do politics and I don't want to. So I think it gives me greater freedom”justifies Sarah Saldmann for her part.

In the same sequence, facing the great reporter Maryse Burgot, she will then say that concerning Palestinian and Gazan civilians “ obviously I can deplore what is happening. It's deplorable, they have nothing to do with it, they are civilians, but was that the subject of the film? ».

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