Cinema is not just an art form: it is a profoundly human moment of encounter, a space where passions and visions are shared between those who create dreams and those who believe in them. The Algiers International Film Festival is a celebration of that meeting–where dreams intertwine with images, and where hearts–from Algeria and beyond–beat in unison for the love of cinema. For nearly three decades, my journey has continuously crossed paths with this marvelous art. From classrooms to press columns, from cultural management spaces to the realms of public policy, I have experienced cinema in all its facets: I have defended it, written about it, analyzed it, and accompanied it on its journey through festivals and cinemas, creators and audiences. It has been–and remains–my mirror on the world and my window into dreams. Today, I return to the stage with an expert eye and a heart full of love and hope. I take on this challenge with the passion of the early days and the responsibility of experience, firmly convinced that cinema can be the beating heart of Algeria–and that Algeria can be the heart of cinema. This splendid city–sometimes so present, other times so absent–deserves to have its story told, celebrated, and rediscovered through a new lens.
Through this festival, we aim to make it a crossroads of stories, a bridge between filmmakers, audiences, critics, and dreamers–from here and elsewhere. Algerian cinema, born from struggle and history, will remain faithful to its memory while opening itself to the world. It will continue to shelter the cinema of resistance and defend the causes of justice, freedom, and human dignity–wherever they may be. Because we believe that the image is not just a frame: it is a stance, and the camera can be a tool of love, resistance, and hope. We invite the world to discover this city–and through it, this proud nation, rich with voices, memories, and images.
The Algiers International Film Festival is not an ordinary event, but a living experience–an open space for dialogue and creation, a sincere tribute to what cinema embodies at its most noble: its ability to bring together people, places, and imaginations in a momentum of love and hope, within a renewed and renewing Algeria. With the festival’s curator, the organizing team, and the support of all who believe in the power of images and cultural action as a gentle force, I commit to making Algeria beat to the rhythm of cinema… just as cinema already beats to the rhythm of Algeria.
Long live cinema, long live resistance, long live Algeria.
Nabila Rezaïg
Artistic Director of the Festival
