Territoire(s)

The profound crisis in the Algerian society claims new lives every day. The present controversy between the Islamic fundamentalists and the Algerian government is only one tragic chapter in the Algerian history of this century, which is characterised by colonial occupation, strife and chaos. TERRITOIRE(S) is a personal reflection on this history. Archive footage, documentary images and fragments from fiction films blend into a vision that centres around the issue of Algerian unity. This topic is also hidden in the title: does Algeria consist of one territoire or are there more territoires? The question does not only refer to the territory but to Algerian society as well. Could one say that there is an Algerian people or is this an umbrella term for groups who are miles apart? This disconcerting film explores this issue against the background of three themes: Algeria and the archaic violence, the West with its 'violence' of ultramodernity, and terrorism and media violence. The fast, rhythmically edited images show a country of extremes, where the latest technological inventions hardly influence age-old patterns. Ultramodern fighter jets traverse the airspace, but in the villages below women are baking bread by medieval methods. The Western wealth reveals the traditional poverty and renders it unacceptable. The film ends with the appeal to face reality.