Drama
In an Algerian village, just before the war of independence, the inhabitants are under the thumb of a local strongman and a wealthy merchant. Among them is El Faïza, an old woman searching for her son who has escaped from prison. The gendarmes arrest El Faïza and seize the…


Khaled

El Hadj

Mehdi

Monsieur Vachonne
Abderazak
Mahdia
Le Docteur

Les Plongeurs Du Désert, directed by Tahar Hannache in 1952, is considered the first entirely Algerian fiction film. It tells the story of the inhabitants of an oasis whose well has dried up. The village elder, Sheikh Messaoud, calls upon the renowned desert divers, artisans specializing in clearing sand- and silt-filled wells, to restore access to the vital water for the community. After their intervention, the water begins to flow again, bringing relief to the oasis and its inhabitants. The film depicts the contrast between the traditional techniques of the divers, embodied by Sheikh Ali and his son Mansour, and the arrival of modernity, represented by the machine that ultimately replaces their craft. This story symbolizes the marginalization of local knowledge in the face of technological progress and the social injustice of the colonial era.

The first World War is in its third year and aerial combat above the Western Front is consuming the nation's favored children at an appalling rate. By early 1917, the average life-span of a British pilot is less than a fortnight. Such losses place a fearsome strain on Gresham, commanding officer of the squadron. Aces High recreates the early days of the Royal Flying Corps with some magnificently staged aerial battles, and sensitive direction presents a moving portrayal of the futilities of war.

In Ivory Coast, an administrator is appointed to replace a colleague who has just been assassinated. The newly appointed administrator, Guillon, clashes with a powerful elite that extorts money from farmers who refuse to cultivate the land. A peanut processing plant, nearing completion, unfolds against a backdrop of ethnic rivalries and resistance from the rural population to the changes imposed by the colonial regime, which is striving to modernize traditional agriculture to demand increased production. Aided by a doctor and an engineer, Guillon succeeds in restoring the confidence of the Black farmers after thwarting the schemes of those who dared to stand in his way.

William (Billy) Livesey is a Falklands Veteran with dementia, living in a care home. A brief connection with new carer Lisa stirs memories in Billy, taking him back to the closing stages of the Falklands War in 1982 and a life changing incident that took place for him, his close friend (and fellow Para) Stu and Argentinian soldier Pablo. Memories from the past help guide Billy through the fog of dementia and re-connect him to the present. Some Wars Never End....