CAIRO: The award-winning Algerian film depicting racism against Arabs and North Africans in France opened yesterday at the Cairo International Film Festival amid accolades.
Director Rachid Bouchareb’s “Indigènes (Days of Glory) won the Cannes Film Festival’s award for best ensemble male cast earlier this year, earning it rave reviews by festival critics.
“Indigènes tells the true story of four North African soldiers who fought to liberate France from German occupation in World War II. But the Nazis weren’t the only enemy. These men also fought for equality, for recognition, respect and a brighter future than the miserable conditions which forced them to join the army.
At a press conference following the screening, co-producer Jean Bréhat explained that director Bouchareb spent a whole year in Senegal and other parts of North Africa to collect detailed information about the experience of the North African veterans with the French army.
Bréhat said that the film cost ?12 million. He described the challenges of getting a budget for “a film about Arabs liberating France with a mostly Arabic dialogue. But the excellent cast of French-African stars Jamel Debouzze (“Amélie , “Angel-A ), Samy Naceri (“Taxi ) and Yassir, Roschdy Zem (“Le petit lieutenant , “The Young Lieutenant ) attracted sponsors, saving the producers a lot of time and effort.
Its political significance aside, “Indigènes is simply another historical drama about discrimination akin to Edward Zwick’s civil war saga “Glory (1989).
With little emphasis on internal human conflict, the four main characters come across as mouthpieces for a just political agenda, but rarely as convincing characters of real flesh and blood.
The film fails to engage viewers emotionally despite the noble cause. Apart from the flawless acting and emotive soundtrack the saving grace of “Indigènes is a moving final scene where the characters are fleshed out and you can feel their pain and anguish.
After watching the film a few months ago, President Jacques Chirac issued a new law increasing the suspended pensions of the North African veterans to match the French ones. This is political victory only a few filmmakers can dream of. The film was recently nominated for the Independent Spirit award which led to a serious Oscar buzz.
Bréhat said that if the film receives an Oscar or Golden Globe nomination, it will be as an Algerian not a French film. That would be a second triumph.
