Turn It Loose — a movie about b-boying

Lilou is a polarizing character, but still the most popular B-Boy of all. He was born in France, but has Algerian roots and wants to be considered Algerian. He travels between worlds and is considered “the immigrant” in both of them. As the underdog in the Red Bull BC One in Berlin in 2005, he won the final against Korean Hong 10. His charisma won the crowd over and they cheered him on from round to round chanting, “Liiiiiiiiiilouuuuuuuu!”

He received a huge winner’s belt, which was supposed to be a challenge trophy to be handed over to the next winner the following year, but Lilou refused to give it back, unfazed by the threat of never being invited to the championship again.

The little guy with glasses and asthma spray is full of surprising moves, has great style and an attitude that shows he knows he will win. In 2006 in Brazil, defending his title however, his cockiness didn’t help. Completely unexpectedly he lost in the first round to newcomer Muxibinha and was devastated.

2007, is his chance to prove again that he is one of the best B-Boys of the world and this year, the battle is held on his home continent – Africa. It’s tough for Moslem Lilou, because the Red Bull BC One in South Africa falls into the time of Ramadan and that, plus the unfamiliar height of South Africa’s plateau terrain makes it twice as hard to endure the strains of a B-Boy battle.

Q & A with Lilou in 2010

You are the only one winning the Red Bull BC One twice.
Yes! And I got two belts now! – he laughs – Winning the Red Bull BC One twice means I am part of B-Boy history and I am very happy about that. Maybe someone else will also win a second time, but being the first one to do so feels really nice.

Do you identify more with the French or with Algerians?
I have both nationalities, French and Algerian, but I don’t feel French. I don’t look French. I have an Arabic face. I was raised in the Algerian culture, my family talks to me in Arabic, we eat Arabian food, cherish Arabian traditions etc., but I speak my mother language with a French accent.

How did it feel to be part of the “Turn It Loose” Movie?
In the beginning, I didn’t think much about it. It was just more cameras than usual. I only knew they wanted to shoot different B-Boys preparing for the competition, show how they live, how they practice and so on. When I finally watched the documentary and realized how good it was and that it was more about the human experience than about the competition, it was kind of a shock. I think it’s a great movie and I am very proud to be in it!

How did it feel to be followed by a film crew?
They followed me in Lyon, in France, they followed me in Algeria and they followed me the week before the competition in South Africa. After a while, I forgot they were there. It’s strange to have people look at you at all times, but it was a great experience.
When I am in Algeria, I live in a very small and poor village. When people there saw me being followed by a film crew, there was great excitement. They felt like something big was happening in our village so the whole village was following us. It was crazy! All the kids followed us in the streets and stood outside my door, screaming my name. Now everybody in my village knows about my career and they are proud of me.

Do you think the movie is important for the B-Boy scene?
Yes! It’s very important. It’s more than just another B-Boy movie – it’s about the experiences and the lives of the people in it. They show our lives outside of the battle, it’s more backstage, the private lives of the dancers. It’s very personal and that’s what makes the movie great!