The Battle of Algiers

One of the most influential political films in history, The Battle of Algiers, by Gillo Pontecorvo, vividly re-creates a key year in the tumultuous Algerian struggle for independence from the occupying French in the 1950s. Shot on the streets of Algiers in documentary style, depicting the horrors and the raw reality of decolonization in French-occupied Algeria. The movie was banned for five years in France and has become a classic among film critics as well as the wider public, as it vividly re-creates a key year in the tumultuous Algerian struggle for independence from the occupying French in the 1950s.

After screening the movie we will open the floor to a Q&A with the audience. The movie will be an entry point to discuss the broader topics and debates of (de)colonization and the question of violence in the context of anti-colonial resistance movements.