“La Zerda and the songs of oblivion” (1982) is one of only two films made by the Algerian novelist Assia Djebar, with “La Nouba des femmes du mont Chenoua” (1977). Powerful poetic essay based on archives, in which Assia Djebar – in collaboration with the poet Malek Alloula and the composer Ahmed Essyad – deconstructs the French colonial propaganda of the Pathé-Gaumont newsreels from 1912 to 1942, to reveal the signs of revolt among the subjugated North African population. Through the reassembly of these propaganda images, Djebar recovers the history of the Zerda ceremonies, suggesting that the power and mysticism of this tradition were obliterated and erased by the predatory voyeurism of the colonial gaze. This very gaze is thus subverted and a hidden tradition of resistance and struggle is revealed, against any exoticizing and orientalist temptation.
Release date : 1983-02-27
Production country :
Algeria
Production company :
O.N.C.I.C.
Durasi : 57 Min.
Popularity : 0
7.60
Total Vote : 4
Advantages of movie
Almost all films carry messages about love, struggle, justice, hope, or humanity that can inspire the audience.
movie Shortcomings
There are films that are too slow at the beginning and too fast at the end — or vice versa — making the audience easily bored or confused.
Related Movies
Movies
Die My Love
2025
6.72
Movies
Vacant Possession
1995
1
Movies
Walking Under Water
2014
9.30
Movies
Zinet, Algiers, Happiness
2023
10.00
Movies
On Native Soil
2006
7.70
Movies
Number One Fan
2014
6.04
Movies
Saint-Jacques… La Mecque
2005
6.21
Movies
Mighty Ground
2017
8.50
