Description: Nineteen-year-old Merwan has lived his entire life in Paris, never realizing that he is an Algerian citizen. Over night the French authorities deport him. Merwan finds himself at ´home´ for the first time in his life - in Algeria. Its culture and language are alien to him, and Algerians look upon him as an unwanted outsider. They take revenge by sending Merwan to the desert to complete his military service. He realizes that he belongs nowhere; his life has become a bad dream. His girlfriend, the open-minded Malika (a French citizen) sets out for Algeria to help him. Cheb is one of the most impressive debuts of the 1990s. Film awards:
Cannes 1991 - Award of the Youth. Locarno International Film Festival 1991 - Bronze Leopard
Directed by: Rachid Bouchareb,
(1953) Director´s annotation:
Audience favourite Rachid Bouchareb is the most artistically distinctive French filmmaker with immigrant roots. His films bear witness to a world in which various cultures live side by side without knowing anything about one another. He has made movies in Africa, Vietnam, the United States, and Europe, and most of his films have been short listed for Oscars. Bouchareb´s production company, 3B, works alongside the most progressive French directors.
