The Emdgasen Film Festival in Algeria opened its second session on Tuesday evening with the screening of the short feature film (He Will Return), directed by Youssef Mehsas.
The movie is 39 minutes long and takes place in the era of the black decade in Algeria, where the owner of a barber shop preparing to close the place permanently and change his activity is surprised by the entry of a man with a child and urgently requests to cut his child’s hair. .
Over the course of four days, the festival, which is held in the state of Batna in northeastern Algeria, will screen 29 short films from 24 countries.
Among the most prominent films competing for the festival prizes are (The Last March) from Algeria, (The Date of Life) from Egypt, (The Winner) from Russia, (The Little Bird) from Saudi Arabia, and (Bark for Life) from Iraq.
The festival will also screen a number of feature films out of competition, including (Until the End of Time) by Yasmine Chouikh, (Abu Laila) by Amine Sidi Boumediene, and (Life Beyond) by Anis Jaad.
The festival program also includes the organization of four workshops for students and young people presented by directors and representatives from Algeria and Tunisia.
The festival, which is organized by the Cultural Foundation (Lamsa) under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture and Arts, derives its name from the Emdgasen mausoleum, which is classified among the most prominent monuments in North Africa.
Algerian Minister of Culture and Arts, Sourieh Mologi, said at the opening that the festival is being held “in a historical and archaeological state that recorded its cultural presence through the international festival at the archaeological site Timgad, to add to it this film festival, which bears the name of the oldest archaeological royal mausoleum preserved in North Africa, Imdgasen, to reflect the image and sound That rooted relationship between historical culture and heritage.”
At the opening, the festival honored a group of actors, including Hassan Kashash, Lydia Laerini and Bayouna from Algeria, in addition to Ahmed Badir from Egypt and Nizar Abu Hajar from Syria.
The opening ceremony, which was held at the regional theater in Batna, also included a singing performance by Algerian singer Kenza Morsli.
