Boudjemâa et la Maison Cinéma

He is a 75-year-old half-blind man. He takes 3000 steps every day. Since 2004 he has made a decision: he will no longer talk about cinema. Boudjemâa, our living memory. That of Algerian cinema, African cinema, Arab cinema, cinema in short. The Algiers Cinematheque. The “masterpiece of Algerian cinema”. Boudjemâa Karèche directed it for 34 years. So why does Boudjemâa no longer talk about cinema? The answer lies next to the circumstances which caused his ouster from the Cinémathèque. Boudjemâa was silent. The time has come for him to let the word think for itself.

Directed by Mohammed Latrèche, Boudjemâa et la Maison Cinéma leans on a strong ensemble — Boudjemaâ Karèche, Mohammed Latrèche — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about documentary titles of 2019.