Karèche, can you give us an overview of the history of Algerian cinema from its birth?
Boudjema Karèche: Algerian cinema started with independence. One of the main tools used to make people understand the Algerian revolution was cinema. By way of example, one short but very well-made film, produced in 1958 by René Vautier “L’Algerie en flammes” enlightened the whole world about the struggles of the Algerian people. From independence onwards, political leaders supported cinema which remained closely-linked to political and cultural life. Algeria was a socialist country until 1990 and everything was managed by the State, including cinema: from production, to distribution and exhibition. In 1975, with only 20 million inhabitants, Algeria counted 40 million cinemagoers. That year can be considered as a pivotal year both for the development of our country and of Algerian cinema, which was awarded the “Palme d’Or” at Cannes for “Chronique des années de braise” by Lakhdar Hamina. And then what happened? Karèche: Television and video threw the country’s cinema into a huge crisis
