Dir. Farid Bentoumi, 2020, France and Belgium.
With Zita Hanrot, Sami Bouajila, Céline Sallette, Olivier Gourmet
Official Selection, Cannes Film Festival 2020
After losing her job at a hospital emergency room, Nour Hamadi returns to her hometown, taking a position as a nurse at the chemical plant where her father Slimane has worked for 30 years. As she settles into her new job, Nour becomes aware of irregularities in the treatment of hazardous waste—and decides to act.
Co-produced by legendary Belgian filmmakers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Red Soil establishes filmmaker Farid Bentoumi as a worthy heir to the Dardennes’ brand of gripping, socially relevant films in which everyday people must confront dilemmas that speak to our era’s most pressing moral issues.
Committed to creating long-lasting experiences for students, FIAF provides educators with a free study guide with detailed content about the movie as well as recommended pre- and post-event activities.
An exclusive video interview of filmmaker Farid Bentoumi will be provided for participating classes.
Presented in conjunction with Burning Brighter: New Voices in French Cinema (Oct 1–10).

About Farid Bentoumi
Winner of the Talent Cannes Adami in 2003, Farid Bentoumi started his career in the theater before appearing in numerous short films and television series.
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He has also found success as a screenwriter, winning the Grand Jury Prize at the Festival des Scénaristes in 2005. After making El Migri, a documentary on his Franco-Algerian family, he directed Brûleurs, which was selected by more than 60 festivals and won several awards. Between 2011 and 2015, he wrote and directed Good Luck Algeria, inspired by his family, and his brother’s participation in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin in particular. Red Soil is his second feature film.
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