First Screening Of “Heliopolis” Movie Slated To Represent Algeria At The Oscars

Djaffar Gacem’s film “Heliopolis”, produced by the CADC, will have its world premiere at the Algiers Opera House on Thursday 5 November, as part of the 1st November festivities celebrating the outbreak of the glorious national liberation  revolution.

This preview will be preceded the day before by a screening for the press at the Ibn Zeydoun Entertainment Hall, at Riadh el Feth Esplanade in upper Algiers.

The film, a historical drama with a fictional plot based on real facts, performed by a cast of talented actors including Aziz Boukroumi and Souhila Mallem, has been selected to represent Algeria at the prestigious Oscars.

This pre-selection is already in itself a  confirmation of the cinematic talent of the director Djaffar Gacem, already appreciated by the general public for his television soap operas, notably the famous series “Achour El Acher”.

It remains to be hoped that “Heliopolis” may mark the revival and the putting back on track of Algerian cinema, which has been fallow for many years.

The filming and processing of the movie was completed several months ago, but it has not yet been shown in cinemas, nor has it participated in any film festivals due to the global spread of the Corona virus.

The American Academy of Film Arts and Sciences stipulates that the competing film in the best foreign film category be shown for at least a week in cinemas, which forces Algerian official authorities to display “Heliopolis” publicly before the end of this year.

The next year’s Academy Awards ceremony will be held in Los Angeles on April 25 instead of the usual February date due to the impact of the Corona virus on the film industry.