Documentary/ Thriller. Director: Carlos Agullo and Mandy Jacobson, South Africa 2013, 84 min.

French with English subtitles

The untold story behind the history, a well-kept secret of the crucial behind-the-scenes negotiations and the determination and hard work of several people to bring Apartheid to an end, accomplish the ultimate release of Nelson Mandela and the independence of Namibia.

To some, such as South Africa’s former President Thabo Mbeki, Jean-Yves Olivier (dubbed “Monsieur Jacques” in classified correspondence) was a mysterious businessman and sanctions buster or a French spy. For others, such as Winnie Mandela and Mozambique’s former President Joaquim Chissano, he was a trusted friend and a man of bold vision.
Told through rare archive footage and interviews, heads of state, generals, diplomats, master spies and anti-apartheid fighters, for the first time reveal how “Monsieur Jacques” positioned himself to be the improbable key to Mandela’s prison cell.