Rachid Bouchareb (born 1 September 1953) is a French film director and
producer. His films are based on the complex history of
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and its relationship with its former colony,
Algeria
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, capital = Algiers
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, relig ...
. His films also examine racial discrimination and conflicts in other countries, using historical dramas and contemporary settings to show his message.
Career
Born in Paris to Algerian parents, he began his career as an assistant director for television in France's state television production company, Société française de production (S. F. P), from 1977 to 1984. He subsequently worked for broadcasters
TF1 and
Antenne 2
France 2 () is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4 and France 5. France Télévisions also participates in Arte and Euronews.
Since 3:20 CET on ...
. During this time, he also directed some short films. In 1988, he began a career in film production working with his associate Jean Bréhat and Jean Bigot to create the production company 3B Productions.l He would go on to produce several films, including ''
La Vie de Jésus
''La vie de Jésus'' (English: ''The Life of Jesus'') is the 1997 debut feature film by director Bruno Dumont. It was the winner of the BFI Sutherland Trophy, the Prix Jean Vigo and European Discovery of the Year at the European Film Awards, as we ...
'' (1997), ''
Humanité'' (1999), and ''
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...
'' (2006), all of which were directed by directed by
Bruno Dumont
Bruno Dumont (; born 14 March 1958) is a French film director and screenwriter. To date, he has directed ten feature films, all of which border somewhere between realistic drama and the avant-garde. His films have won several awards at the Canne ...
and were honored at the
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...
.
Bouchareb has also directed many feature films. His feature film debut came in 1985 with ''
Bâton Rouge.'' His other films have also been recognized at film festivals and won several accolades. In 1991, his film ''
Cheb
Cheb (; german: Eger) is a town in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 30,000 inhabitants. It lies on the river Ohře.
Before the 1945 expulsion of the German-speaking population, the town was the centre of the German- ...
'' premiered at Cannes was the official selection from Algeria for the
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film which was also produced by Bouchareb's 3B Productions. His other acclaimed films include ''
Poussières de vie'' (''Dust of Life'') (which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1995): 2001's ''
Little Senegal'' and 2014's ''
Two Men in Town'', which both premiered at the
Berlin International Film Festival. Bouchareb's biggest success is likely
''Days of Glory'' (2006), which was entered into the main competition for the
Palme d'or at the Cannes Film Festival, with the ensemble of actors all receiving the award for Best Actor in 2006. Bouchareb described the filming experience as "fixing an injustice".
The film has been cited as helping to release the pensions of several veterans from former French colonies after being frozen for years. Also in 2006, Bouchareb received the Henri Jeanson Prize from the
Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers (SACD) for his body of work. In February 2009, his film ''
London River
''London River'' is a 2009 British-French drama film, written and produced by Franco-Algerian film director Rachid Bouchareb. Starring Brenda Blethyn and Sotigui Kouyaté, it centres on the journey of two people searching for their children aft ...
'' premiered at the
2009 Berlin Film Festival, where the film's main actor
Sotigui Kouyaté receiving the
Silver Bear for Best Actor.
In addition to being a director and producer, Bouchareb is also a
screenwriter, having written the screenplays for all his feature films. His screenplay for ''Days of Glory'' notably earned him the
Caesar Award for Best Original Screenplay.
In 2007, Bouchareb was named a Knight of the
Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleo ...
, the highest French order of merit. Apart from filmmaking, Bouchareb is a member of the board of directors of
La Fémis, one of the world's best film schools.
In 2010, his film
''Outside the Law'' (''Hors-la-loi'') competed for the Palme d'or at the
2010 Cannes Film Festival in May. It was the official Algerian entry for the
83rd Academy Awards, and it was one of the five final nominees.
In 2012, he released the first part of his American trilogy, ''
Just Like a Woman'', starring
Sienna Miller
Sienna Rosie Diana Miller (born December 28, 1981) is an American-British actress. Born in New York City and raised in London, she began her career as a photography model, appearing in the pages of Italian ''Vogue'' and for the 2003 Pirelli ca ...
and
Golshifteh Farahani. Two years later, the second part of his trilogy was released, ''Two Men in Town''. The final part of Bouchareb's trilogy was released in 2018, entitled ''
Belleville Cop.''
In 2016, he directed the television film ''
Road to Istanbul
''Road to Istanbul'' (french: La Route d'Istanbul) is a 2016 French-Algerian drama film directed by Rachid Bouchareb. It was shown in the Panorama section at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival. Whettnall received a Magritte Award for B ...
'', starring
Astrid Whetnall. Most recently in 2020, Bouchareb gave a masterclass to 17 filmmakers from the
Global South in the
Institut Français' La Fabrique Cinéma, an event designed for first-time filmmakers.
Filmography
Feature films
* 1976: ''La Pièce'' (short film)
* 1977: ''La Chute'' (short film)
* 1978: ''Le Banc'' (short film)
* 1983: ''Peut-être la mer'' (short film)
* 1985: ''
Bâton rouge''
* 1991: ''
Cheb
Cheb (; german: Eger) is a town in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 30,000 inhabitants. It lies on the river Ohře.
Before the 1945 expulsion of the German-speaking population, the town was the centre of the German- ...
'', a.k.a. ''Flucht aus Afrika''
* 1994: ''
Poussières de vie'', a.k.a. ''Dust of Life'' / ''Die Kinder von Saigon'' / ''Der Himmel ohne Sonne''
* 2000: ''
Little Senegal'' (Prix du meilleur long métrage au 11
e Festival du cinéma africain de Milan)
* 2006: ''
Days of Glory'', a.k.a. ''Indigènes''
* 2009: ''
London River
''London River'' is a 2009 British-French drama film, written and produced by Franco-Algerian film director Rachid Bouchareb. Starring Brenda Blethyn and Sotigui Kouyaté, it centres on the journey of two people searching for their children aft ...
''
* 2010: ''
Outside the Law'' (French: ''Hors-la-loi'')
* 2012: ''
Just like a Woman''
* 2014: ''
Two Men in Town''
* 2016: ''
Road to Istanbul
''Road to Istanbul'' (french: La Route d'Istanbul) is a 2016 French-Algerian drama film directed by Rachid Bouchareb. It was shown in the Panorama section at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival. Whettnall received a Magritte Award for B ...
''
* 2018: ''
Belleville Cop''
Short films
* ''Le vilain petit poussin'' (2004)
* ''L'ami y'a bon'' (2005)
* ''Djebel'' (2007)
TV films
* ''Des années déchirées'' (1993)
* ''L'honneur de ma famille'' (1997)
References
External links
*
La BeurgeoisieThe French website for successful "
Beur
''Beur'' (or alternatively, ''Rebeu'') is a colloquial term, sometimes considered pejorative, in French to designate European-born people whose parents or grandparents are immigrants from the Maghreb. The equivalent term for a female beur is a ...
s".
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bouchareb, Rachid
1953 births
French film directors
Georges Delerue Award winners
French people of Algerian descent
Living people