Atlal: A poetic discipline that involves facing the ruins and bringing one’s memory back to the surface and one’s memories from the visible to the invisible. Algeria, in the grip of terrorism, officially experienced the loss of over 200,000 lives between 1991 and 2002.
ABOUT DJAMEL KERKAR
Following his graduation in economics, Djamel Kerkar studied cinema at ESAV Marrakech. Atlal, his first feature film was awarded the First Film Prize at FID Marseille 2016 where it also won 2 special mentions from the GNCR and the international online film critic.
« The word “Atlal” means ruins in Arabic. It’s also a practice in pre-Islamic poetry which consists of standing and facing ruins, contemplating them, to bring out of them recollections, a memory. Desert nomads started their often-improvised poems with this practice as the prelude to a poem. In this first silent part of the film, facing the ruins. There is something here that is tantamount to mourning. » D.K.
Pre Islamic Poetry, Imrou El Qais :
2016
*FID Marseille – Premier Prix, Prix – Mention spéciale du jury GNCR, Prix – Mention spéciale Critique internationale
*Viennale
*Underdox
*Mar del Plata
*Rome MedFilm Festival
2017
*Luxor African Film Festival
*FCAT
*Panorama des cinémas du Maghreb et Moyen-Orient
STILLS
TECHNICAL SHEET
CAST :
Ammi Lakhdar, Ammi Rabah Lakhdar, Abdou, Raouf Moundhir, Mohammed, Abdou
CREW :
Production : Prolégomène – Jaber Debzi / Centrale Électrique – Narimane Mari, Olivier Boischot, Michel Haas
Image & Sound : Djamel Kerkar, Bilel Madi
Editing : Djamel Kerkar, Corentin Doucet
Audio mixing : Antoine Morin
Color grading : Pierre Sudre
Post production : Olivier Boischot
Thanks to : Djalila Kadi-Hanifi, Karim Moussaoui, Hassen Ferhani, Ahlem Bensaidani, Farid Belhoul, Debzi & Mesli families, Kerkar crew, Nadjib Guermache, Yacine Bouaziz, Mohamed Lakhdari, Bilel Lakhdari, Malek Lakhdari, Sidi Moussa’s Mayor.