Boris Diaw presents his documentary “En Mission”: “More intimate because we know each other better”

On Sunday at 9:10 p.m., your documentary on the fantastic adventure of the French basketball team at the Tokyo Olympics will be broadcast on Eurosport. You had already gone to the other side of the camera to make a short film (“Easy Life”) or with your Bros Stories platform. But how did you come up with this desire to take the camera during a French team tournament?

Boris Diaw. : It doesn’t come out of nowhere. I had already done it during the London Olympics, but as a player this time. It was also more complicated at the time because I necessarily had less time as an athlete. But I had made an “Inside” documentary that we had kept internally. For Tokyo, the idea came from there. Afterwards, I did not invent the documentary of this style. Since “Eyes in the Blues” (note: produced by Canal + on the coronation of the French football team during the 1998 World Cup), it has become frequent in team sports. In recent years, we have always had someone who did inside reports with the French basketball team. But the difference is that at the Olympic Games, the people in charge of that cannot follow us as there is no accreditation for this kind of thing. So if we want to keep a little trace, we have to do it ourselves.

How did you bring this to the coach, Vincent Collet, already? And then players?

BD: There were no negotiations (laughs). The idea was to have a little “Inside” thing between us. As we had done in London. And afterwards, what allows broadcasting today is the beauty of the adventure with this historic silver medal at the end. So basically, it came naturally as there is always someone who is usually with us in all the other competitions, Euros or World Championships. So it didn’t change from the ordinary. The difference is that this is at the Olympic Games. And that normally, you can’t have that at the Games.

The other atypical side is that you are a former player who left the group not so long ago (note: he retired in 2018). And that you have also been deputy general manager of the France team since 2019. An amazing mix of genres. Being both an actor and an observer, is that an advantage or a disadvantage?

BD: As an actor, I know how it goes. The moments that need to be filmed, those that are going to be interesting… And it wasn’t super complicated either. We had to follow the key moments related to the athlete – what happens in the locker room, the coach’s speeches…-. Afterwards, the little added value is the fact of following the players in their daily lives, during moments off the field.

Watching the documentary, we also have the impression that the players are a little more comfortable than usual. We interfere a little more in the life of the group. Did your status and your past as a former teammate help break down barriers?

BD: Of course, it’s a little more intimate because we know each other better. Usually, we are lucky to have a person who follows us regularly in the France team so we manage to create a link. But there, these are players with whom I played. Of which I am the manager today. So we have a closeness that allows us to be as natural as possible. And that’s what we’re looking for in this type of documentary.

And you remembered to grab your camera every time so you don’t miss anything?

BD: It gradually became a reflex. Anyway, she never left my hands. Evan Fournier also made fun of me nicely because I had the camera in my hand all the time.

Between the speeches of Vincent Collet, the scenes of life in the small apartments of the Olympic village or even the final disappointment, there are several strong sequences during the documentary. But what is your favorite moment in all that you have been able to film?

BD: I think more about things that made me laugh and are a bit out of the ordinary. Like the door at the end with (Evan) Fournier, it’s a special moment. Or when I film them playing the console. They are in two bedrooms, one living room. And they’re all on a screen playing the same game while the guys are on the other side of the world, in Tokyo. I think it’s great. Especially since these are moments of relaxation from the tension of the competition. However, the unity of the group was even a little more important during this campaign there with the restrictions linked to the Covid. You had to be particularly strong and focused on the goal. This is what made it possible to have this result. Because they knew how to keep this seriousness despite the context, thanks to their cohesion.

On a personal level, we know that you have been fond of photos for years now. But where does this passion for the image come from?

BD: It’s been several years now. It started with photo safaris. My first was in 2004. And since then, I have had this appetite for photography for beautiful images that tell something and create an emotion. Then, it also translated into the video. With documentaries either around nature or to tell a story or something in particular while trying to make beautiful images. This is what I like for years now and more and more.

It is also often linked to personal challenges. Either with your boat, diving or as during your ascent of Mont Blanc…

BD: There is always a quest for adrenaline. It’s always to go see something. I’m not in the challenge of hurting myself, I’m not going to go triathlon for example. On the other hand, going to beautiful places that are difficult to access by boat or like when climbing Mont Blanc, I love it. The sunrise over Mont Blanc, for example, remains a magical memory. I always seek great adventures with this quest for beauty.

This quest for adrenaline, do you also find it when you immerse yourself in the life of a group like during this adventure with the Blues?

BD: It’s not the same as being a player. You experience very, very strong sensations and moments, but they are not the same. You do not have direct access to the results. You live things but not in the same way.

Do you have other projects of this type in mind?

BD: Yes, but not necessarily in basketball. I also did it because the person who usually does it couldn’t do it at the Games. For the next few years, he will resume his role with the France team (laughs). Especially since it’s still time-consuming. It didn’t require superhuman effort from me as I was there, in the locker room and with the team throughout the campaign. But it takes energy to film constantly.

And for Paris 2024, won’t that tickle you? Especially since the Blues clearly make an appointment at the end of the documentary…

BD I don’t know. We’ll see how it goes. In Tokyo, the idea was to make “inside” images. But afterwards, from the moment it’s planned, it’s different. But why not since the Paris Games can be something exceptional.