Library Film Club - "The Battle of Algiers" (1966)

Library Film Club returns after a break.

We continue the series of social cinema from around the world, featuring one of the most influential political films in history.

"The Battle of Algiers" (Italy/Algeria, 1966, dir. Gillo Pontecorvo) vividly recounts the Algerian War of 1954–1962. It is an extremely moving and often shocking film that, with striking authenticity, recreates a key year of Algeria’s turbulent struggle for independence from French occupation. The film may be even more relevant today in the global political context than ever before and remains a controversial work.

Shot on the streets of Algiers in a documentary style (referencing Italian neorealism), just a few years after the events portrayed and featuring people who fought on the Algerian side (most characters are played by non-professional actors), the film serves as a case study of modern warfare, with its acts of terrorism and the brutal techniques used to combat them.

The Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN) began the liberation war, employing terrorism against French civilians. In response to the escalation of violence in Algiers, France deployed paratroopers to suppress the uprising by any means. Both sides committed atrocities.

The magazine Les Temps Modernes, edited by Jean-Paul Sartre, actively supported the Algerian cause by publishing articles condemning French actions and promoting anti-colonial positions.

NOTE: The presented film is of historical and artistic nature only. The screening is not intended to endorse terrorism or any form of violence, which we as organizers unequivocally disavow. Gillo Pontecorvo’s film is treated as an important study of the tragedy of war and liberation movements, serving as a starting point for a serious discussion of ethics and history.

The film contains graphic scenes.

The screening will be followed by a discussion led by Stanisław Bogdanowicz, a PhD candidate at the School of Humanities Doctoral Program, University of Warsaw, and a graduate of the Łódź Film School and the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Warsaw. We encourage comments and questions about the film.

"The Battle of Algiers" ("La battaglia di Algeri"), dir. Gillo Pontecorvo (Italy/Algeria, 1966), running time: 121 min. Projection in French and Arabic with English subtitles.

FREE ENTRY.

The event is sponsored by:

• Le Monde Diplomatique - Polish Edition
• Warsaw Branch of the Polish Philosophical Society

Date and time: 20 March (Friday), 18:30

Place: Library at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Warsaw, Krakowskie Przedmieście 3, Warsaw