Dir. Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche, 2006, France, Algeria, 97min, 35mm, Color
Starring Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche, Meriem Serbah, Abel Jafri, Farida Ouchani, Ramzy Bedia, Sakina Dammene-Debbih
In Algerian and French with English subtitles

Blending real-life inspiration with narrative finesse, Algerian filmmaker Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche plays the lead role of Kamel, an ex-prisoner deported from France after serving his sentence. When Kamel arrives back home—the same Algerian village where Ameur-Zaïmeche was born—he’s seen as an outsider who doesn’t remember the language or local ways.

The seemingly structureless story sets Kamel as a silent observer, using editing rhythm and musical score to weave together the visual fragments as Kamel adjusts in a place that’s split between tradition and modernity. When his ambitious jazz singing cousin Louisa (Meriem Serbah) enters the scene, harrowing family drama drives her over the edge—and into an institution, where she plays the role of a lifetime. The film won the Award of the Youth at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival.

Nominee, Un Certain Regard, 2006 Cannes Film Festival
Nominee, 2006 Rotterdam International Film Festival

“Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche quite simply invents, right before our eyes, an innovative way of staging.” –Cahiers du Cinéma

“Landscape, faces, bodies torn between ecstasy and fury: the beauty of the film lies in its power of evocation.” –Le Monde