Tahia Ya Didou !

At a glance

Tahia Ya Didou !, is a 1971 Algerian movie, directed by Mohamed Zinet, and starring Mohamed Zinet, Himoud Brahimi, Suzie Nacer. with a runtime of 77 minutes.

Overview

Tahia Ya Didou is the sole feature film by Algerian actor and director Mohamed Zinet, originally commissioned by the city of Algiers as a tourism promotional piece but transcending that mandate to become one of the finest works in Algerian cinema. The film blends documentary and fiction in a poetic, free-roaming portrait of Algiers — its port, streets, markets, and cafés — with ordinary residents who recur often enough to feel like protagonists. Woven through the film is a subplot involving a French tourist couple, the husband a former soldier whose casual racism and colonial prejudices collide with a disturbing encounter: he recognizes a blind man he once tortured during the Algerian War. A poet named Momo punctuates the film with verses that serve as an elegy for the city. Restored and digitized in 2016, Tahia Ya Didou remains a landmark of Algerian and world cinema.

Tags