TheNige: There is a 2019 film that depicts FM Xavier Parmentier as a chess coach. The part is played by the great Gerard Depardieu. The film is called "Fahim, the Little Chess Prince" and a synopsis follows:
"Directed by : Pierre François Martin-Laval
Produced by : Waiting for Cinéma
Genre: Fiction - Runtime: 1 h 47 min
French release: 16/10/2019
Production year: 2019
Forced to flee his native Bangladesh, eight year-old chess prodigy Fahim arrives in Paris with his father. Refused asylum, as illegal immigrants they spiral downwards into homelessness and desperation.
By a stroke of luck, Fahim is introduced to one of France’s top chess coaches, Sylvain (real name: Xavier Parmentier), who tutors him and gives him a sense of purpose - his struggles on the chessboard mirroring both his victories and his crushing defeats in his battle for a normal life. Fahim then rises through local and national tournaments only to be crowned France’s Under-12 Chess Champion in 2012.
The film tells the story of a child who learns to live without his mother and without his father, far from home, from his roots and his language. Fahim’s tale is not only a moving account of the grim realities that underlie a supposedly caring society, but also a heartwarming testimony to a father’s determination, the kindness of strangers, and one small boy’s courageous will to succeed."
The trailer is noted below. One line that, as both a sailor and chess player, I like is "There are more adventures on the board than on all the high seas."
Kibitzing
