Algeria will be the guest of honor at the 2nd International Sahara Film Festival, scheduled from October 29 to November 2 in Ksar Ghilane, an oasis in southern Tunisia, organizers announced.
A selection of historic Algerian films will be showcased to commemorate the outbreak of the November 1, 1954 Revolution, with the participation of Algerian filmmakers and artists, the organizers added.
The animated film Es’sakia by Algerian director Naoufel Kalache will be screened. Produced by the Ministry of Mujahideen and Rights Holders with support from the Ministry of Culture and Arts, the film depicts the brutal massacres in Sakiet Sidi Youcef, a village on the Algerian border, carried out by the French colonial army on February 8, 1958, during the war of national liberation.
The short film Rose du désert by Oussama Benhassine, which addresses French nuclear tests in the Algerian desert in February 1960, and the feature film 196 Mètres / Algiers by director Chakib Taleb Bendiab, will also be screened.
The festival will celebrate Algerian cinema through a special session titled “Algerian Cinema Night,” highlighting shared experiences and the cultural and artistic ties between Algeria and Tunisia.
In the official competition, The Last Card by Oussama Daas and NYA by Imen Ayed will compete alongside films from Lebanon, Libya, Syria, Iran, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia, according to the organizers.
Founded in 2024, the International Sahara Film Festival is an annual cinematic event organized by the Sahara Art Association under the patronage of the Tunisian Ministry of Cultural Affairs.
