Territoire(s) 1996

Directed by Malek Bensmaïl

Based on Alge­rian proverbs and sayings, Terri­to­rie(s) reviews Alge­rian history in this century. The french colo­ni­sa­tion, the paci­fi­ca­tion of 1957 and the ulti­mate inde­pen­dence in 1962. The poli­ti­cal leaders are consi­de­red in cleverly edited sequences: Boudiaf, Ben Bella, Colo­nel Boume­dienne and figures from the Isla­mic move­ment like Ali Belhadj and Fara­khan. The french and Alge­rian intel­le­gen­tias are also inclu­ded in this kalei­do­sco­pic image of a coun­try that thanks to its event­ful colo­nial past, still has diffi­cul­ties deter­mi­ning its own iden­tity more than thirty years after its inde­pen­dence. Barba­rism is all its forms, inclu­ding the mili­tary forms it can assume with follo­wers of the FIS, is set against the domes­tic warning of those who plead for keeping eyes open, and keeping society open.