Presented as part of the Algiers International Film Festival, Haiyu pays tribute to one of the great voices of Western Sahara: Mariem Hassan, an activist singer, icon of Sahrawi cultural resistance, and a major figure in the desert blues movement. Through this film, an entire aspect of memory, struggle, and identity is revealed, carried by the profound spirit of a people in search of freedom.
Haiyu follows the journey of this exceptional artist, born in a territory marked by exile and conflict. Mariem Hassan’s music—powerful, deep, infused with both pain and hope—becomes the gentle weapon of a people who refuse to be erased. Her warm and luminous voice transports the audience to the heart of the Sahara, where songs become testimonies, where poetry recounts what History often overlooks.
The film focuses not only on retracing her artistic path but also on revealing the woman behind the legend: resilient, free, sometimes vulnerable, but always standing tall. Blending archival footage, concert performances, personal accounts, and cross-referenced perspectives of those who knew her, Haiyu creates a humanist, deeply intimate narrative. It shows an artist who transformed her art into a manifesto, giving substance and voice to a cause that some would prefer to see disappear in silence.
By choosing to screen this film, the Algiers International Film Festival highlights a work of memory and dignity, recalling the fundamental role of culture in contemporary struggles. Haiyu is not just the portrait of a musician: it is a cry, a song of defiance, a tribute to all those who, in the sand and the wind, continue to dream of a free Sahara.
