Damien Ounouri on Fidaï | Mapping Subjectivity

2012. France/Algeria. Directed by Damien Ounouri. With Mohamed El Hadi Benadouda. In Arabic, a fidaï is a fighter who has sworn his life to a cause, unafraid to be a martyr. Now 70 years old, El Hadi is one of countless anonymous veterans who fought the war and then resumed life as an everyday citizen, ending the chapter of his life as a fidaï. On the 50th anniversary of Algerian independence, he recounts those years of struggle and hardship to his great-nephew, the director. Ounouri's documentary, made all the more timely by today's Arab insurgencies, is exquisitely filmed, at once intimate and lyrical. Fidaï was co-produced by Chinese master filmmaker Jia Zhang Ke, whose artistry seems to have sharpened the film’s focus and poetry. In Arabic, French; English subtitles. 83 min.

Friday, November 9, 2012, 4:00 p.m., Theater 2, T2 (U.S. premiere)