“It neither demonizes nor lionizes either side of the conflict, aiming for just-the-ugly facts objectivity. Nobody who sees it is likely to feel comforted, or even vindicated. The emotion it most frequently and fervently inspires is sorrow.” - Mike D'Angelo, AV Club
“The most important piece of political filmmaking since BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN.” - David Parkinson, Empire Magazine
Friday, September 12, 6:00 p.m. & Sunday, September 28, 6:00 p.m. | As you watch THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS, remind yourself: this isn’t a documentary. So visceral, so real and immediate is Gillo Pontecorvo’s film, it is hard to believe the director didn’t capture the real thing. Set in the 1950s, the film chronicles the rise of Algeria’s National Liberation Front and their struggle for independence from French colonial rule. A powerful exploration of resistance, repression, and the true cost of colonialism, of THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS, Village Voice critic Michael Atkinson wrote, “If any movie squeezes you into the shoes of grassroots combatants fighting a monstrous colonialist power for the right to their own neighborhoods, this is it.” 35mm screenings generously supported by Mimi and Scott Manzler.
Awards & Nominations
Nominee - Best International Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Academy Awards
Winner - Best Film, Venice Film Festival
Cinema of Resistance | September 1–28, 2025
In Cinema of Resistance, we present eight films that expose the lowest moments of humanity, both real and imagined: war, corruption, cowardice, authoritarianism, and then raise high displays of bravery from movements that changed the course of history and individuals that put themselves on the line for the greater good. Join the fight from your cinema seat.
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu