Algeria, Images of a Fight/Algérie, Images d'un Combat
By: Jérôme Laffont
(Belgium, 2010, 52 min)
Screens: Sunday, November 13th, 12pm
Synopsis:
As with all modern conflicts, the Algerian War of Independence from French colonial rule became a high-stakes venue in the battle of competing images. In opposition to the propaganda movies made by the French military campaign, a few directors such as René Vautier devoted themselves to documenting the struggle of fighters for Algerian independence. Much of this footage - at times moving, at times harrowing, and often very beautiful - was banned in France. Much of it has been lost and some even destroyed. This compelling film raises important questions about the power of filmmaking and the purposes it serves in documenting, or manipulating, reality.
Director's Bio:
Born in Lourdes (France) in 1979, Jérôme Laffont is a graduate in Directing at INSAS in Brussels. His diploma film, a documentary about the closure of the blast furnace near Liege, Au Coeur du chaud, des vestiges et des hommes, was selected by some twenty festivals. With Marie-France Collard and Foued Bellali, he is also co-director of the long documentary Résister n’est pas un crime (2008) on the abuse of anti-terrorist laws in Belgium. Algéria, Images d’un combat is his third film.
