Souleymane’s Story (French: L’Histoire de Souleymane) is a 2024 French-language film directed by Boris Lojkine and co-written with Delphine Agut. The film follows Souleymane, played by newcomer Abou Sangaré, a recent immigrant from Guinea who is trying to navigate life in Paris while preparing for his crucial asylum application interview. He earns a living by working as a meal delivery rider on an e-bike, experiencing the struggles of undocumented immigrants in a fast-moving city.
Main Cast: Abou Sangaré, Nina Meurisse, Alpha Oumar Sow, Emmanuel Yovanie, Younoussa Diallo, Ghislain Mahan, Mamadou Barry, Yaya Diallo.
This socially grounded drama explores the hidden side of life in Paris — not through tourist attractions or grand monuments, but through the backstreets, metro stations, and corners where the city’s most vulnerable residents survive. Now, let’s take a closer look at where Souleymane’s Story was filmed.
Where Was Souleymane’s Story Filmed?
The whole movie was filmed on location in Paris and the suburbs around the city. It shows the capital through the eyes of an undocumented delivery rider and is very honest and real.
The film was shot entirely in Paris, across more than 85 real locations, including streets, subway stations, shelters, restaurants, and actual delivery areas. Locations were scouted by bike, day and night. The team explored different neighborhoods to reflect the true experience of food delivery workers.
Boris Lojkine, the director, wanted the film to feel real, and Paris became a character that came to life in the movie.
Let’s take a better look at the place where Souleymane’s Story was shot.
1. Streets of Paris, France
Souleymane delivers food orders all over the city on his bike. Real Parisian streets were used by the production crew to show what food delivery workers do every day. These scenes were filmed with a cameraman riding—along with Abou Sangaré on a bicycle. Cycling scenes were shot by placing the cinematographer on a bike rig, following Abou Sangaré in actual Paris traffic to emphasize immersion and danger. The goal was to put viewers right in the middle of busy city life.
2. Région Parisienne
Some scenes were shot in the Région Parisienne, which are the suburbs on the edges of Paris. This larger metropolitan area shows the variety of neighbourhoods, including many working-class areas where immigrant communities often live.
3. Nation Metro Station – 3 Place de la Nation, Paris 12
In this scene, Souleymane waits for Barry. In the 12th arrondissement, this busy intersection and metro hub shows how people get around Paris and how Souleymane’s story is connected to that.
4. Gare du Nord – 112 Rue de Maubeuge, Paris 10
One of Paris’s busiest train stations — Gare du Nord — serves as a backdrop when Souleymane waits for Emmanuel, who never arrives. This place brings out the loneliness and uncertainty that many immigrants feel.
5. Jaurès Metro Station – 98 Boulevard de la Villette— Paris 19
Souleymane can be seen getting off the train to catch his bus. The 19th arrondissement, which is known for having a diverse population, is an important setting that shows how the real-life communities shown in the movie are like.
6. Avenue Rachel, Paris 18
In a key scene, Souleymane delivers food to police officers at this location. Situated near Montmartre, the 18th arrondissement is another diverse part of the city where many immigrant workers live and work.
Based On True Story
Yes, Souleymane’s Story (2024) is deeply rooted in a true story, especially that of its lead actor, Abou Sangaré.
While the film is not a documentary, its narrative closely mirrors Sangaré’s real-life journey as a Guinean immigrant in France. He lived much of what Souleymane experiences on screen — including crossing multiple countries, surviving detention in Libya, arriving in France undocumented, and facing the long, uncertain asylum process.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Abou Sangaré said:
“When I see Souleymane sitting in the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons, I put myself in his place, because I know what it’s like to wait for your papers here in France — the stress, the anxiety.”
He arrived in France in 2017, worked as a truck mechanic in Amiens, and lived for years under a deportation order while trying to legalize his stay. Even after acting in the film, he only recently received a temporary six-month visa — a moment he called “relieving but uncertain.”
Sangaré believes the film brought attention to his case and helped reopen his residency application. As he put it:
“My life will change the day I have my papers.”
This makes Souleymane’s Story more than just a movie — it’s a reflection of thousands of untold immigrant stories in France.
Behind the Scenes with Real Stories
• Director Boris Lojkine and casting director Aline Dalbis spent time interviewing real food delivery workers in Paris to understand their lives.
• The film’s story was inspired by true experiences of undocumented immigrants, especially those working in the gig economy.
• The lead actor Abou Sangaré was discovered through an open casting call. He had no acting experience and was himself an immigrant from Guinea.
• In the script, parts of Sangaré’s personal life were shown, like how he moved to France as a teenager and worked as a mechanic.
• Real Parisian streets were used for the delivery scenes, and a cameraman on a bike kept things natural.
• The lighting of exteriors was mostly natural — using existing streetlights, shop signs, and available light sources to keep the realism intact.
• For the scene with the asylum interview, the cast talked to—Guinean asylum seekers and watched real interviews at Ofpra.
• These steps made the movie seem more real and showed how hard life is for “sans papiers” (undocumented workers) in France.
Official Trailer
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