Loubia Hamra

Original film about the Algerian War of Independence made on its 50th anniversary. Narimane Mari's first feature film, it earned the Jury Prize at FID Marseille and CPH:DOX. A group of children play on a beach as they complain about their diet, made up exclusively of red beans, and their flatulent side effects. As the film progresses, without any historical backdrop and through the language alone, we learn we are in the midst of the French occupation of Algeria in the 1960s. The group of infantrymen cannot just sit around in the face of the occupier's violence; they storm the house of an abusive settler wearing a pig mask, disguise themselves in a beautiful night scene to desecrate the Christian cemetery and kidnap one of the French soldiers. Once on the beach, they decide to torture him by feeding him red beans, the very food they have been forced to eat since the occupation. Playful and political fantasy in the spirit of Jean Vigo’s Zero de Conduite (1933), with outstanding work done with the children.

Presented by Narimane Mari and live music by Cosmic Neman, Lori Schenberg and Quentin Rollet at the screening on Friday, May 5.