July 14Th. France’s national holiday. A paid statutory holiday. In Marseilles, it is not the red, white and blue that strikes us, but all of the other colours that make up the portrait of contemporary France. Camped out with our cameras in the heart of the working class quarters of downtown, we capture the ebullient spirit of the streets, from sunrise until the night ends. From the innocence of the first firecracker to a car on fire. From a French military man who uses his uniform to cruise to an Algerian World War II veteran who is only seeking recognition. These characters, encountered haphazardly as we move through the city, do not stand for any scripted argument. They just are who they are. Each in their own way, they are simply French.