how the true story of Dany Boon's parents gave birth to the film

Direction the Franco-Belgian border in Nothing to declare, broadcast this Sunday, November 24, 2024 on TF1. A comedy that owes a lot to the parents of its director and main actor, Dany Boon.

It's obvious, with Dany Boon, the North is never far away. From his debut on stage, the actor, director and comedian spoke of his origins, he who was born in Armentières. A region also very present in his films. Behind the camera, our man obviously signed Welcome to the Ch'tis (2008), historic box office hit, which has become cult. And this despite a big argument during filming between the director and his acting partner Kad Merad. Rebelotte a few years later with The Ch'tite family (2018), which is however not a sequel to the previously mentioned film. Between these two comedies, Dany Boon went to the far north of the country with Nothing to declarebroadcast this Friday, November 24, 2024 at 9:10 p.m. on TF1.

Who inspired the story of Nothing to declare the Dany Boon ?

Difficult to go further to the northern level since Nothing to declare is located on the border between France and Belgium. In this hilarious face-off between Dany Boon and Benoît Poelvoorde, the first plays a French customs officer while the second plays his colleague from across Quiévrain. We are in Courquain, an imaginary post-border town which lives mainly from trade between France and Belgium. Problem: we are on the eve of January 1, 1993, and the imminent disappearance of borders within Europe rekindles tensions between Mathias Ducatel (Dany Boon), a friendly French customs officer, and Ruben Vandevoorde (Benoît Poelvoorde), his Walloon colleague a little too zealous and downright racist towards everything French. Released in theaters in January 2011, this family comedy is inspired by the life of its director's parents, from whom the latter hid his troubles at the start of his career. “My father was Kabyle and my mother French. he explained in the press kit for the film. “Falling pregnant very quickly, she was rejected by part of her family. These are things that we don't forget when we experience them like I did as a child…“

Dany Boon, lover of the North

Dany Boon, whose children have an astonishing influence on his career, also has very specific memories of the Franco-Belgian border, when it still existed. “At the time, I had long hair and with my drawing board and my Cure badges, I was stopped and searched by customs officers every time.“Always ready to lend a helping hand, the star recently helped Eve Gilles, a Miss France from the north like him. Unfailing loyalty therefore.