Amine Benrachid turned a challenging migration journey into a growing career in the film industry, gaining recognition at major international festivals. He left Chad at 17 and arrived in France as a teenager.
His route to Europe took him through Libya, where he spent a year, including four months in detention, before crossing the Mediterranean on a rubber dinghy to Italy. Six months later, he traveled on foot to France and eventually settled there.
His life took an unexpected turn toward cinema while he was applying for political asylum at the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (Ofpra). In Paris, a photographer encouraged him to start modeling.
This led to fashion shoots, auditions, and later, acting roles. Since 2020, Benrachid has appeared in productions like La Voix des autres and Voyages en têtes étrangères. In his latest film, Seuls les rebelles (Only Rebels Win), directed by Danielle Arbid, he stars alongside Hiam Abbas as an oppressed Sudanese worker.
The film premiered in the Panorama section at the Berlinale in February and is set to be released in France on June 24. Benrachid is also on the jury for the Citizenship Prize at Cannes and plans to film his own life story in 2027 after finishing the screenplay.
