Directed by:
Gillo PontecorvoScreenplay:
Franco SolinasCinematography:
Marcello GattiVOD (2)
Plots(1)
This highly political film about the Algerian struggle for independence from France took "Best Film" honors at the 1966 Venice Film Festival. The bulk of the film is shot in flashback, presented as the memories of Ali (Brahim Haggiag), a leading member of the Algerian Front de Liberation Nationale (FLN), when finally captured by the French in 1957. Three years earlier, Ali was a petty thief who joined the secretive organization in order to help rid the Casbah of vice associated with the colonial government. The film traces the rebels' struggle and the increasingly extreme measures taken by the French government to quell what soon becomes a nationwide revolt. After the flashback, Ali and the last of the FLN leaders are killed, and the film takes on a more general focus, leading to the declaration of Algerian independence in 1962. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Awards
- Winner
- Nominations
Academy Awards
- 1969 - Gillo Pontecorvo (Best Achievement in Directing)
- 1969 - Franco Solinas, Gillo Pontecorvo (Best Original Screenplay)
- 1967 - Gillo Pontecorvo (Best Foreign Language Film)
British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA)
- 1972 - United Nations Award
New York Film Critics Circle Awards
- 1967 - Best Foreign Language Film
Venice Film Festival
- 1966 - Gillo Pontecorvo (Golden Lion for Best Film)
- 1966 - Gillo Pontecorvo (FIPRESCI Prize)