The original title translates as "Omar the Strawberry", and the origin of the nickname is a running gag in the movie.
Actor Reda Kateb accepted the part of Omar a day after it was offered to him. As for Benoît Magimel, Elias Belkeddar recalled that without even reading the script, Magimel invited him for coffee, and 15 minutes later told him: "You know what? I like you. Let's do this".
The movie premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, out of competition at a midnight screening.
The movie was entirely shot in Algeria, mostly in Alger. For instance, it uses the "200-column city" in the town of Oued Koriche near Alger. Many secondary roles were filled by non-professional actors, to widen the diversity of the cast. Elias Belkeddar says it's not a problem, as every Algerian is a born storyteller.