For Berlin-based Brazilian filmmaker Karim Aïnouz, traveling to Algeria in 2019 to visit his father’s homeland became an emotional journey that not only resulted in his latest work, the Cannes title “Mariner of the Mountains,” but also the documentary “Nardjes A.,” which premiered last year in Berlin.
“Mariner of the Mountains,” which unspools in Special Screenings Friday, is Aïnouz’s most personal film since one of his earliest works, the 1993 short “Seams,” about his grandmother and her four sisters, “which was kind of the seeds of this film,” the director tells Variety.
Aïnouz grew up in the northeastern Brazilian city of Fortaleza, where he was raised by his mother and grandmother. Although he didn’t meet his estranged father until he was 18, he had long been fascinated by Algeria.
“It’s something that was there for me from the beginning,” he says. His image of Algeria had been a romanticized idea of the revolution,...
“Mariner of the Mountains,” which unspools in Special Screenings Friday, is Aïnouz’s most personal film since one of his earliest works, the 1993 short “Seams,” about his grandmother and her four sisters, “which was kind of the seeds of this film,” the director tells Variety.
Aïnouz grew up in the northeastern Brazilian city of Fortaleza, where he was raised by his mother and grandmother. Although he didn’t meet his estranged father until he was 18, he had long been fascinated by Algeria.
“It’s something that was there for me from the beginning,” he says. His image of Algeria had been a romanticized idea of the revolution,...
- 7/8/2021
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Shot by experienced documentary cinematographer Juan Sarmiento G over a single 24-hour period on International Women's Day, 2019, in Algiers, Karim Aïnouz's Nardjes A offers a vibrant snapshot of the life of young actress and activist Nardjes, as she takes to the streets.
She and thousands like her are part of the Hirak movement (the word "hirak" itself means "movement") - which began in February 2019, just days after president Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced he would flout the constitution by standing for a fifth term of office. The protests are also sometimes referred to as the Revolution of Smiles - a sentiment that is admirably captured by this film, which shows how rather than the often-depicted "angry mob", most protests are joyous gatherings of people, brought together by a sense of solidarity and community that give a sense of warmth and belonging to those who take part.
Aïnouz intercuts the footage of Nardjes' day.
She and thousands like her are part of the Hirak movement (the word "hirak" itself means "movement") - which began in February 2019, just days after president Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced he would flout the constitution by standing for a fifth term of office. The protests are also sometimes referred to as the Revolution of Smiles - a sentiment that is admirably captured by this film, which shows how rather than the often-depicted "angry mob", most protests are joyous gatherings of people, brought together by a sense of solidarity and community that give a sense of warmth and belonging to those who take part.
Aïnouz intercuts the footage of Nardjes' day.
- 5/21/2021
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
On Feb. 14 last year, Karim Aïnouz arrived in Algeria to trace via the story of his parents the Algerian Revolution which happened 60 years ago – its 1954-62 War of Independence from France. The uprising he very quickly started to shoot, however, was one happening right then, the Revolution of Smiles, whose first street demonstration erupted on March 1.
The result, “Nardjes A.,” world premieres in Panorama Dokumente at this week’s Berlin Intl. Film Festival.
On the second week of protests, Aïnouz was advised by a friend guide that he shouldn’t shoot anything at all. “But I don’t take ‘no’ for an answer,” he remembers. Looking to film the Revolution from the viewpoint of an Algerian, he located female activist Nardjes Asli through a friend. “Nardjes A.” is essentially a film diary, shot over March 8, International Woman’s Day, from 8am to 5am the next day, as Nardjes Asli joins a rally,...
The result, “Nardjes A.,” world premieres in Panorama Dokumente at this week’s Berlin Intl. Film Festival.
On the second week of protests, Aïnouz was advised by a friend guide that he shouldn’t shoot anything at all. “But I don’t take ‘no’ for an answer,” he remembers. Looking to film the Revolution from the viewpoint of an Algerian, he located female activist Nardjes Asli through a friend. “Nardjes A.” is essentially a film diary, shot over March 8, International Woman’s Day, from 8am to 5am the next day, as Nardjes Asli joins a rally,...
- 2/17/2020
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
After world premiering at Cannes in Un Certain Regard to warm reviews, Mounia Meddour’s debut feature, “Papicha,” was the first film to be submitted for the International Feature Film category at the Oscars in July. But its inclusion in the race was threatened when local authorities in Algeria pulled the plug on the movie’s limited theatrical release the week of Sept. 21 — making it impossible for “Papicha” to screen in Algeria before the Sept. 30 deadline required to qualify for inclusion in this category.
Although the film was shot in Algeria, partly financed there and granted a screening visa, the release of “Papicha” was canceled by authorities without any explanation. The movie was meant to be released by Centre algérien du développement du cinéma (Algerian Center of Cinema Development).
Producers Xavier Gens and Gregoire Gensollen at Paris-based The Ink Connection and co-producer Belkacem Hadjadj at Algiers-based Tayda Film fought unsuccessfully...
Although the film was shot in Algeria, partly financed there and granted a screening visa, the release of “Papicha” was canceled by authorities without any explanation. The movie was meant to be released by Centre algérien du développement du cinéma (Algerian Center of Cinema Development).
Producers Xavier Gens and Gregoire Gensollen at Paris-based The Ink Connection and co-producer Belkacem Hadjadj at Algiers-based Tayda Film fought unsuccessfully...
- 10/11/2019
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Producers fight to screen film locally in time to hit Sept 30 deadline.
The producers of Algeria’s 2020 Oscar submission, Mounia Meddour’s youthful rebellion drama Papicha, are battling to screen the film in the country after local authorities pulled the plug on a planned theatrical release this week.
The feature, which premiered to warm reviews in Un Certain Regard in May, was due to make its theatrical debut in Algeria in a gala screening in the capital of Algiers on Sept 22, ahead of a wider release.
Producers Xavier Gens and Gregoire Gensollen at Paris-based The Ink Connection and co-producer Belkacem Hadjadj...
The producers of Algeria’s 2020 Oscar submission, Mounia Meddour’s youthful rebellion drama Papicha, are battling to screen the film in the country after local authorities pulled the plug on a planned theatrical release this week.
The feature, which premiered to warm reviews in Un Certain Regard in May, was due to make its theatrical debut in Algeria in a gala screening in the capital of Algiers on Sept 22, ahead of a wider release.
Producers Xavier Gens and Gregoire Gensollen at Paris-based The Ink Connection and co-producer Belkacem Hadjadj...
- 9/26/2019
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
The Un Certain Regard winner found himself caught up in Algeria’s revolution earlier this year
Karim Aïnouz has revealed fresh details of his upcoming Algerian revolution documentary Nardjes, Algiers, March 2019, a rough cut of which screens in the Final Cut in Venice post-production workshop on Sunday (Sept 1).
The work plunges viewers into the heart of street demonstrations that led to the resignation of Algeria’s long-time, authoritarian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika in April through a day in the life of a young female activist whose family fought in the original Algerian revolution of 1954-1962.
The Brazilian, Berlin-based filmmaker recounts how...
Karim Aïnouz has revealed fresh details of his upcoming Algerian revolution documentary Nardjes, Algiers, March 2019, a rough cut of which screens in the Final Cut in Venice post-production workshop on Sunday (Sept 1).
The work plunges viewers into the heart of street demonstrations that led to the resignation of Algeria’s long-time, authoritarian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika in April through a day in the life of a young female activist whose family fought in the original Algerian revolution of 1954-1962.
The Brazilian, Berlin-based filmmaker recounts how...
- 8/31/2019
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
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