Catalogue

Merwan Kechida is a 19-year-old Arab who is expulsed from France where he’s lived since he was a year old. He still has his Algerian passport and been unceremoniously sent back to Algeria where he knows neither the language nor the customs. He is rapidly and brutally confronted by the reality when Algerian authorities confiscate his passport and send him to southern Algeria to due his military service. There he really feels how different he is from native Algerians : he’s a immigrant everywhere he goes. He must decide whether he wants to leave a country that keeps him against his will only to return to a country that rejects him despite his love of France. It’s Malika, a young free-spirited girl, who will help him escape.

Awards

1991

Cannes Film Festival
* “Perspectives du Cinéma” Award
* Procirep Award
* Award of the Youth
* Audience Award – Special Mention

Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale)
* CICAE Award

Locarno International Film Festival
* Bronze Leopard

Festival des Enfants Lumière
* Grand Prize

Ghent International Film Festival
* Best Music

Namur International Festival of French-Speaking Film
* Golden Bayard –  Best French-Speaking Film
* Golden Bayard – Best Actress Nozha Khouadra

1992

Oscars
* Official Algerian Entry