Agence CAPA
presse

Action Directe: the French years of lead

Between 1979 and 1987, a far-left group set France ablaze. Armed robberies, bombings, assassinations. They struck hard and vanished in a cloud of explosives, leaflets scattered to the wind, and relentless ideological claims. Their war name? Action Directe.

More than 80 attacks, 26 injured, and 12 dead in less than ten years. Stunned, the French discovered plastered everywhere the portraits of these young women and men who looked like ordinary people, yet seemed unstoppable. Thus began a long and intense manhunt that would end with the arrest of the group’s leadership.

Produced by
Anthony Orliange
Co-produced by
INA
Written by
Vanessa Schneider • Virginie Linhart
Directed by
Virginie Linhart
Cinematography
Jérôme Colin • Elsa Colin
Editing
Yohan Le Rallier
Duration
72 min
Broadcasting date
September 14, 2025