Sembène Film Festival: The Battle of Algiers

One of the most influential political films in history, The Battle of Algiers, by Gillo Pontecorvo, vividly re-creates a key year in the tumultuous Algerian struggle for independence from the occupying French in the 1950s. As violence escalates on both sides, children shoot soldiers at point-blank range, women plant bombs in cafés, and French soldiers resort to torture to break the will of the insurgents. Shot on the streets of Algiers in documentary style, the film is a case study in modern warfare, with its terrorist attacks and the brutal techniques used to combat them. Based on the Memoirs of Saaidi Yacef, Pontecorvo’s tour de force has astonishing relevance today. (run-time 121 minutes)

Sembène – The Film & Art Festival – is a group of scholars, activists and film aficionados. Our mission is to celebrate the life, showcase the work and honor the legacy of African Filmmaker Ousmane Sembène, through film and other complementary cultural events. The Festival serves both as a vehicle and catalyst: to honor the life, work and legacy of Ousmane Sembène and to showcase film makers and other art/cultural events that speak, unflinchingly, to the important issues facing the modern African Diaspora.