Merzak Allouache

Merzak Allouache

Biography

Merzak Allouache is one of the most internationally renowned directors of African descent. He was born in Algiers in 1944,
where he went on to study at the Institut National du Cinéma. He also studied at the IDHEC film school in Paris and he initially worked for Algerian television. His debut feature film in 1977 OMAR GATLATO brought him his first invitation to Cannes. Two of his films have already been screened here in Cologne: EL TAAIB (2012) about an Islamist dropout and MADAME COURAGE (2015) about Algerian youngsters whose lives are plagued by unemployment and a lack of prospects for the future. Merzak Allouache will join us for the first time in person in 2019, and he will present three more of his films: his classic BAB ELOUED CITY (1994), which has won awards at many festivals, including Cannes and Tunis, his docufiction TAHQIQ FEL DJENNA (INVESTIGATING PARADISE), which won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury in the “Panorama” section at the Berlinale in 2017, and his latest feature film RIH RABANI (DIVINE WIND).

Filmography

RIH RABANI (2018): Guest, Direction

TAHQIQ FEL DJENNA (2017): Guest, Direction

BAB EL-OUED CITY (1994): Guest, Direction

MADAME COURAGE (2015): Producer, Screenplay, Direction

El Taaib (2012): Screenplay, Direction