Sponsored by CBS 5

Presented by The Arab Cultural and Community Center

Directed by Merzak Allouache

Starring: Adila Bendimerad, Nouha Mathlouti, Nadjib Oulebsir, Nabil Asli, Samir El Hakim, Ahmed Bebaissa

A young Algerian filmmaker and his screenwriter wife invite his collaborators over to review footage from an unfinished work they shot two years before, in Merzak Allouache’s potent and resonant new film. With demonstrations unfolding right outside their door in the wake of the Arab Spring, the filmmaker hopes to gather the opinions of his colleagues on how to make their past efforts congruous with the present situation. What ensues is a heady mix of spirited discussion, reminiscences from the film shoot and the compelling footage itself. Presenting a wide range of psychological angles and emotional insights, award-winning director Allouache (Bab El-Oued City) brilliantly interrogates censorship, the relationship between the personal and political, and the proper path of revolution under a stifling regime. When what is “normal” is deemed subversive, determining exactly what and whom to protest becomes increasingly fraught.

Film Note Writer: Rod Armstrong