New TV series depicts 1992 Farouk Kassam kidnapping in Sardinia

The television series ‘177 Giorni. Il rapimento di Farouk’, directed by Carlo Carlei, was presented at the Rome Film Festival. Based on the book by Fateh Kassam and Marco Corrias, the production reconstructs the 177-day kidnapping of seven-year-old Farouk Kassam, which occurred on January 15, 1992, in Costa Smeralda, Sardinia.

The series, a co-production between Rai Fiction and Bim Produzione, explores the social contrasts of Sardinia, juxtaposing the wealth of the Costa Smeralda with the impoverished interior of the Barbagia mountains. It follows the child's imprisonment and the subsequent investigations that led to his release.

During the presentation, Farouk Kassam stated that working on the project helped him personally confront the trauma of his childhood kidnapping. The series is scheduled to premiere on Rai1 starting November 16.