Max - Kerviel: the 50-billion scandal on display at Paris La Défense

By Mulder, 29 november 2024

La Défense, the beating heart of the French financial world, hosts a landmark event with the launch of the first French documentary series produced by Max Originals, Kerviel, un trader, 50 milliards, available today on Max. A digital poster campaign highlights the face of Jérôme Kerviel, the central player in a historic financial scandal, in a highly symbolic location: La Défense, where the affair that shook the banking system over 15 years ago took place.

Visible until December 1, this initiative puts the spotlight on this exceptional affair. Over 11 million visitors are expected during this period to the esplanade at La Défense, where they will be able to discover the emblematic images from this series that revisits a dark chapter in global finance.

To give the general public a taste of the series, Max is offering the first 10 minutes of the episodes free of charge on the TikTok and YouTube platforms. This bold choice will attract the attention of a wide and diverse audience, before a full dive into the four 45-minute episodes directed by Fred Garson.

On January 24, 2008, Société Générale announced a colossal loss of 4.9 billion euros, attributed to a young, hitherto unknown trader, Jérôme Kerviel. This affair, which jeopardized one of France's biggest banks and shook the world's financial markets, is at the heart of this documentary. The series explores the events that followed the announcement, the three days during which Société Générale tried to limit its losses discreetly, and paints a portrait of Jérôme Kerviel. Accused of being the only guilty party, he was at the center of a legal and media battle with major political stakes.

To offer a complete perspective, the series gives the floor to key players in the affair: former Société Générale executives, specialist journalists, political and legal figures. Among the contributors are Vincent Vantighem, journalist and expert on the affair, the former head of the trading room, and former President François Hollande. Jérôme Kerviel himself, as well as those close to him and his advisors, share their views on this scandal, which raises questions about individual responsibility in the face of an opaque financial system.

Produced by Jean-Luc Millan and Jean-Louis Perez, this documentary series aims to plunge into the heart of an out-of-control financial system, shedding light on the flaws and stakes of the Kerviel affair. Carefully directed by Fred Garson, Kerviel: Un trader, 50 milliards is a captivating work that promises to shed light on one of the greatest legal and financial scandals of our time. Don't miss this eventful series, available today on Max, and see the face of Jérôme Kerviel at the heart of La Défense until December 1.

(Source : press release)