Guerre sans images – Algérie, je sais que tu sais

a documentary film by Mohammed Soudani
Switzerland/France 2002, 35mm, 90′, o.v. Arabic/French, sub. French/German

Festivals & Prizes

22. Festival Internacional de Cine, Mar del Plata 2007
6. Festival int. di cinema e cultura ambientale, Turin 2003
8th Rencontres du cinéma en Beaujolais, Villefranche sur Saône 2003
19th Haifa International Film Festival, Haifa 2003
38th International Filmfestival, Karlovy Vary 2003
13rd Festival Black Movie, Geneva 2003
26th Göteborg Film Festival, Göteborg 2003
16th Festival International de Programmes Audiovisuels, Biarritz 2003
38. Solothurner Filmtage, Solothurn 2003
22nd Amiens International Film Festival, Amiens 2002
12. Weltfilmtage Thusis, Thusis 2002
17th Festival international du film francophone, Namur 2002
55. Locarno International Film Festival, Semaine de la critique, Locarno 2002

Synopsis:

Guerre sans images is the return of the filmmaker to his home country, Algeria, after a thirty-year absence. It is also the return of photographer Michael von Graffenried to a country where, between 1991 and 2000, he took pictures of people without their knowledge. He now goes back to find those people he « stole » the pictures from. The videocamera witnesses this strange reunion and tries to capture the moments of truth of those people who have everything to lose in delivering their stories.
The result is a look on contemporary Algeria. A crossed, contradictory, complex look that is the mirror of a country where laugh and tears intermingle. A country that wants both to live and to forget its tragedy and which, between East and West, is still looking for its identity.

Credits

Director:

Mohammed Soudani

Editing:

Jacopo Quadri

Music:

Giovanni Venosta

Production:

Amka Films Productions, IMTM Film, RSI-Swiss Television

Swiss distribution:

Columbus Film, Zürich