The Battle of Algiers

Co-presented by UA School of Government and Public Policy

Don’t miss this big screen presentation of the 1966 Oscar-nominated classic THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS, co-presented by UA School of Government and Public Policy as a kick-off for their campus film series, Resistance on Screen: Film, Politics, and the Struggle for Justice.  Featuring a post-film Q&A with UA School of Government and Public Policy Professors Dr. Carolyn Barnett and Dr. Kirssa Cline Ryckman!

One of the most influential political films in history, The Battle of Algiers, from director Gillo Pontecorvo, vividly re-creates a key year in the tumultuous Algerian struggle for independence from the occupying French in the 1950s. As violence escalates on both sides, children shoot soldiers at point-blank range, women plant bombs in cafés, and French soldiers resort to torture to break the will of the insurgents. Shot on the streets of Algiers in documentary style, the film is a case study in modern warfare, with its terrorist attacks and the brutal techniques used to combat them. Pontecorvo’s tour de force has astonishing relevance today. Nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Foreign Language Film, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. (Dir. by Gillo Pontecorvo, 1966, Italy/Algeria, in French/Arabic with English subtitles, 121 mins., Not Rated)

Dr. Carolyn Barnett is an Assistant Professor in the School of Government and Public Policy and School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies at the University of Arizona. She studies gender, political psychology, social policy, and political and economic behavior in the Middle East and North Africa.

Dr. Kirssa Cline Ryckman is an Associate Professor in the School of Government and Public Policy at the University of Arizona, specializing in international relations, civil wars, terrorism, and strategic nonviolent conflict