The Blond Boy from the Casbah

France 2024 | Director: Alexandre Arcady | French & Arabic with English subtitles | 126 minutes

Drama

Antoine, a celebrated filmmaker, travels back to his birthplace, Algiers, with his young son to present his latest film: an account of his childhood in mid-20th century Algeria during the country’s civil war. As he wanders through the city, the filmmaker immerses us in the moments of happiness, laughter, and tears of his childhood – spent between school, friends, and his Jewish family. Growing up during the final moments of Algeria’s pre-independence period, the young Antoine discovers his profound fascination with cinema and starts to understand who he truly is.

Based on French Jewish director Alexandre Arcady’s childhood years in Algeria, this bittersweet semi-autobiographical dramedy presents an enchanting and nostalgic look at the vivid tapestry of life in the Casbah – a poor, multicultural section of the city where Jews, Muslims and Christians had once lived together in peaceful co-existence for generations.