History of Cinema in ALGERIA
Historical overviewAfter a century of rule by France, Algeria became independent in 1962. The surprising first round success of the fundamentalist FIS (Islamic Salvation Front) party in the December 1991 balloting caused the army to intervene, crack down on the FIS, and postpone the subsequent elections. The FIS response has resulted in a continuous low-grade civil conflict with the secular state apparatus, which nonetheless has allowed elections featuring pro-government and moderate religious-based parties. FIS's armed wing, the Islamic Salvation Army, disbanded itself in January 2000 and many armed militants surrendered under an amnesty program designed to promote national reconciliation. Nevertheless, residual fighting continues. Other concerns include Berber unrest, large-scale unemployment, a shortage of housing, and the need to diversify the petroleum-based economy.
History of cinema from 1896-2000
The Algerian Cinema is the only Arab Cinema -after the Egyptian Cinema- with historical roots. What makes the Algerian Cinema distinguished amongst the Arab Cinema, despite various stages of its growth, is that it is the only cinema which was able to grab the golden frond award from the Cannes International Film Festival (one of the biggest Film Festivals in the World) through film "Waqua eigh Sanawat Al Gamr" for the Algerian international director El Akhdar Hamina, although the Algerian Cinema, much like the cinema in Northern Africa, does not cross the boarders of its country, except to Europe, especially France. Another Tragic point, which the Algerian Cinema faces now, is the blockade, which is imposed internally now.
In 1957, in a village in the mountains of the Aurès, Algerians made a decision to establish their own cinema, by which they could bear witness of their own situation.
In 1954 the Algerians had taken up arms against the French, who had colonise the country since 1830. The terrible war was led by the FLN (Front de Libération National). Algeria became independent in 1962. Some of these mostly war related titles in the years before independence are the short films "Les réfugies", (1956) by
Cecile Cujis a film about imprisonment in France; "L'Algérie en flammes", (1957) by R. Vauthier; "Sakiet Sidi Youssef", (1958) by Pierre Clement; the full feature "Djazairouna", (1960) based on the footage of "Une Nation, l'Algérie" produced by R. Vauthier in 1955; the short "Cinq hommes et un peuple" by R. Vauthier.
In 1962 the first production company was founded, C.A.S.B.A.H.-Films. In 1964 the National Center of the Algerian Cinema (C.N.C) was established by government decree. That same year the of "the National Institute of the Cinema" (I.N.C.) opened its doors, placed under the authority of the C.N.C and the cineclub was born; "Algerian National Cineclub". In 1967 the "Algerian Center of the Cinema" (C.A.C) was established to further centralize the film industry. The C.A.C. replaced the CNC and INC which were subsequently dissolved.
The Algerian cinema began as a war cinema and between 1963 and 1967 film was seen as forming a key part of the Algerian liberation struggle. In the mid-1960s the new Algerian government played the major part in the organisation of all aspects of cinema, maintaining a monopoly of production, distribution and exhibition through an often bewildering succession of bureaucratic organisations. The O.N.C.I.C (national office for the film industry, founded in 1968) fully monopolized the trade.
The glorious years of the revolutionary war of independence are taken as a subject for a series of films that starts during the war: Djazaïrouna (1960), and ends (for the time being?) with two co-productions with France: Décembre (1971) and La Dernière Image (1986) which is set before the war, and tells the story of two boys who fall in love with their French teacher. Hamina received the prize for the best first film in Cannes for Le vent des Aures and in 1975 a Golden Palm for Ahdat Sanawouach el-Djamr/ Chroniques des annés de braises/Chronicle of the years of ember.
Algeria already had a modern cinema by the mid-1960s. Algerian cinema was born out of, and served the war of independence, which explains its obsession with that war. Centralized control of the industry contributed to creating "cinema moudjahid," as it was called, that deals with the Algerian rebellion against the French occupation. The famous Italian-Algerian "Battle of Algiers" is the best-known work of this period. But critics, filmmakers, and audiences eventually rebelled against this monolithic focus. The agrarian changes of 1971 ushered in a new genre of Algerian films that focused on agriculture. Since the late 1970s, these in turn have been supplanted by films dealing with more diverse topics-urban alienation, bureaucratic fumbling and the changing role of women. Belkacem Hadjaj's "The Drop"(1982/1989), Mohamed Rachid Benhadj's "Desert Rose" (1989). The best example of the new genre is "The history of a Meeting", a film by Brahim Tsaki .This 1985 FESPACO winner is the moving story of two deaf children (one the child of an American oil engineer the other the son of an Algerian countryman) who are able to communicate and transcend the cultural barriers that divide them.
Nowadays the Algerian cinema does hardly pass its own borders. In recent years the Morrocan cinema has surpassed Algerian production. The lack of recent government support due to political turmoil in Algeria and the lack of local production companies as well as distributors has significantly slowed production down. The situation will remain until Algeria finalizes its economic situation, still being in a status quo between socialist direction and an open market, the Algerian Cinema is one of the first victims of this situation.
Trailers from ALGERIA
Cinema links from ALGERIA
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Al Bab |
Arabic site offering information on Algerian movies
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Algeriades |
Well crafted site promoting Algerian art, includes a beautiful movie section
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El Moudjahid |
Algerian online journal, includes extensive news on cinema events related to Algeria
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Kabyle |
Algerian gateway to culture, arts and media offering diverse information, includes a film section
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Ministry of Culture |
Government body responsible for the legislation concerning the audiovisual art and industry
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Olivier |
Site specially directed at Algerian culture , features movie links
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Planet DZ |
Algerian site directed at offering information on Algerian culture, incudes cinematic information
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Pour Info |
Algerian site offering diverse information, includes a film section with interviews and reviews.
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