Jamila,_the_Algerian
Jamila, the Algerian
1958 film
Jamila, the Algerian (Egyptian Arabic: جميلة) is a 1958 Egyptian historical film about one of the most important figures in the history of Algeria, Djamila Bouhired. The film was directed and produced by Youssef Chahine and written by Abd al-Rahman Sharqawi, Ali al-Zarqani, and Naguib Mahfouz. It is regarded as not only highlighting the story of an important female revolutionary, but also showing the struggle of the Algerian people against the French occupation. The film stars Magda, Salah Zulfikar and Ahmed Mazhar in the leading roles.
Jamila, the Algerian is the first and only multimedia narrative to focus solely on the role of Algerian women in the 1954 revolution. The film was released only a year after the torture and arrest of Djamila Bouhired, and it was banned by the Algerian government for decades.[1] Despite this, Chahine's first explicitly political film managed to galvanize wide solidarity with the Algerian resistance from across the Arab World, starting in Egypt. Jamila, the Algerian is listed in the top 100 films in history of Egyptian Cinema.[2][3]