Algerian cinema is in search of a revival, decades after its 1970s heyday and steep decline, with authorities having blown hot and cold in their support.
Today, the country counts only a few dozen theatres against a backdrop of legal, bureaucratic and financial restraints.
“Algerian cinema is rich in its talents and poor in its means,” said producer and film critic Ahmed Bedjaoui. “We need to give a little more freedom to filmmakers.”
During the 1960s and 70s, the north African country was home to more than 450 cinemas and film libraries.