Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival
“Let’s go back”, to Algeria or France, questions the Franco-Algerian filmmaker Nasser Bessalah
In competition at Clermont-Ferrand, the world's largest short film event,
Rentrons
tells the story of Abdel and Nouria, two young people in search of a future, torn between France and Algeria. A profound story, set in a magnificent setting, performed with bravery and humor. In short, a very successful “road movie on mopeds”, directed by the Franco-Algerian filmmaker Nasser Bessalah. Interview.
Nasser Bessalah, Franco-Algerian director in competition with “Rentrons” at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. © Siegfried Forster / RFI
By: Siegfried Forster Follow
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RFI
: Let’s go back. Where are we heading with your film
?
Nasser Bessalah
:
There is a certain ambivalence, depending on the characters in the film. For Nouria, it will be returning to
France
, although she is of Algerian origin. While for Abdel, home is ultimately
Algeria
. This is where he thinks he can best defend his interests. As a result, he decides to stay in Algeria.
You didn't go to film school. Where did this need to make your first short film come from
?
I didn't go to film school per se. However, I went to an acting school and during the course, I did a cinema workshop for a week. That’s what gave me a taste for making cinema. It was also an opportunity for me to apply what I thought, that is to say, write stories that concern us and not let others tell these same stories. Because often the point of view is biased and there is a certain lack of legitimacy. To know a person or try to understand them in what they are, to do this, you have to live with them or experience what they experience.
Also read: “Making dreams come true”, Clermont-Ferrand, the world capital of short films, opens its film festival
Abdel and Nouria are both French of Algerian origin and each fled France for a different reason. They find themselves in the same village in Algeria, their parents' country of origin, before considering returning to France, due to multiple disappointments. Why did you set up your camera in the Béjaoui mountains, in northern Algeria
?
I am of Algerian origin, but I have a certain specificity, because my father comes from the south of Algeria, from the desert, he is a Sahrawi. And my mother is from the North. It is not far from Béjaia and the scenery is very similar to those I know when I go to my mother's village of origin. There, my intention was to film the Béjaoui mountains, because I love mountains. Besides, I have been going to the Vercors every summer for almost ten years. There is a certain similarity. It was a childhood memory. The third point: I wanted to show a very beautiful side of Algeria.
Melha Bedia and Zine-Eddine Benyache in “Rentrons”, a short film by Nasser Bessalah, in competition at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. © Les Valseurs
The central question posed in the film is
: do we return to live in the country of our parents or grandparents
? Is this a question that has ever tormented you
?
The question is being asked more and more in view of what is happening today in France, with regard to certain communities, in particular that which we will call the Muslim community. It's not necessarily just Islam that comes into play, but for some, there is a kind of feeling that comes down to rejection. Many have tried to play the game of integration, etc. And it didn't necessarily work. Therefore, there is the fact of wanting to return. Today, when I speak with friends of North African or even West African origin, the question arises whether we stay here, despite our attempts at assimilation. Or, do we go back to the country of our parents or grandparents to try to do something there?
In France, Algeria has never left them, and in Algeria, Abdel remains "
the immigrant
" and Nouria, because she handles the ball well, is nicknamed by derision "
Zizou
", but she does not master the Arabic nor Kabyle. Do they belong more to a generation than to a country
?
I don't know if it's generational. One thing is certain, belonging to this country is felt through these two characters who decided to go to Algeria. Nouria wanted to follow her father, but ultimately there was disillusionment and she wanted to return to France. For Abdel, it was more to escape his mother. He could have fled elsewhere, but he decided to flee to Algeria, to stay with members of his family, in particular his cousin with whom he has a café.
On the one hand, this choice is linked to origins. On the other hand, it can be generational. Some French people of North African origin will not only try to flee to their country of origin, but to Canada or the Gulf countries which seem to appeal to them more than that of France.
Read alsoAlgeria: “Achewiq”, the song of courage of Kabyle women
In the film, at one point, we see graffiti and banners appear in the street
: “
Let us love Algeria
!”
» “
No to the 5th term
!
» Was it easy to shoot these scenes in Algeria
?
There were no particular difficulties. Of course, the script was read by certain authorities, notably the Ministry of Culture. They expressed no opposition. The film was also broadcast in Béjaïa. And to have a visa and be able to broadcast the film, you must have the stamp. I didn't experience this problem of censorship.
When you showed the film at the Béjaïa Film Festival, where it was shot, how did the spectators react
?
There was a lot of misunderstanding [smile], in the sense that some of the people I spoke to want to go to France and try their luck. They find it a bit paradoxical to see two French people of Algerian origin who want to live in the countryside. But if we compare that with Morocco, it's been about ten years since a good part of the Moroccan diaspora decided to return to Morocco, because there are economic opportunities, and also fashion opportunities. of life. If we return to the question of Islam, some people can live their faith better there. This question is also starting to arise when going to Algeria. More and more people want to try the Algerian adventure, because there are economic opportunities emerging, because there is a way of life that could suit them better.
Melha Bedia and Zine-Eddine Benyache in “Rentrons”, a short film by Nasser Bessalah, in competition at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. © Les Valseurs
We talk a lot about the first, second or third generation of Algerians who are starting to change France. With French people of Algerian origin returning to Algeria, do you have the feeling that they are changing this country
?
I think they're trying. Whatever we think, they will change the country, because they will bring new knowledge, new ways of doing things.
So the film is a return to the country, but at the same time a return to the future
?
Yes and no. It's a return to the country, but it's also perhaps a return to the future in the sense that we return to Algeria hoping that there will be economic opportunities. Abdel's case is a textbook case. He is waiting for state funding put in place in the late 2000s and early 2010. He is counting on it to open his business. The State encourages entrepreneurship. This is something new for Algeria.
Here we are at the largest short film festival in the world. What is a good short film for you
?
It's about going out with a smile. Or, a few hours after watching a film, think about it again. I think that's the sign of a good short film.
►
Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, February 2 to 10
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