Director

Mounia Meddour

Algeria, France, Belgium | 2019 | 105 min | Algerian Arabic, French with subtitles in English

• Producer Xavier Gens, Patrick André, Grégoire Gensollen, Belkacem Hadjadj, Mounia Meddour
• Production Company The Ink Connection, High Sea Production, Tayda Film
• Screenplay Mounia Meddour
• Cinematography Léo Lefèvre
• Editing Damien Keyeux
• Sound Guilhem Donzel, Damien Lazzerini
• Cast Lyna Khoudri, Shirine Boutella, Nadia Kaci, Amira Hilda Douaouda, Zahra Doumandji, Yasin Houicha, Meryem Medjkane
• Contacts

  MC Distribution

  festivals@mcdistribution.me

About the Film

Through her first feature film, Papicha, young Algerian director Mounia Meddour takes us back to Algeria's bloody black decade in the 1990s—a time when extremism and terrorism reigned.

Najma, an 18-year-old student who dreams of designing dresses and fashion shows on her university campus, does not realize that she will soon find herself at the heart of a hurricane. Her persistence draws attention, as terrorists begin to force her and her group of companions to abandon their ambitions, after murdering her journalist sister, Linda.

Despite the emotional trauma, and her initial decision to abandon her dream of holding a fashion show, Najma raises her fists as a sign of resistance. She decides to fight extremism and ignorance by betting on the traditional Algerian dress, the hayek, which symbolizes her authentic identity. As she continues working on her creations, a bloody attack armed with ignorance, destruction, and real weapons, burns her designs down to ashes.

Through Papicha, which means “beautiful, pampered young girl,” the director documents Algeria's bitter era—where women became the biggest victims—and focuses on two realms. On the one hand, there is a very realistic realm that exists within the university campus, carrying intimate moments, careless freedoms, and the troubles and joy experienced by young college girls. On the other hand, there is the external world, fueled by the sinister growth of extremism and terrorism, and the cruelty of a predominantly male world.

Daughter of the late controversial filmmaker Azzedine Meddour, Mounia continues to walk along the path her father once paved through his creations. In Papicha, she presents a portrait of Algeria and its women. Those women made history as they defied the determination of terrorists who distorted all values in the name of ignorance, and brainwashed masses in the name of religion. The film celebrates those women through Najma, a brave heroine who stood her ground in the face of darkness.

Nabil Hadji