Set in the Tunisian village of Chebika in the early 1960s (though filmed in Algeria), and inspired by sociologist Jean Duvignaud’s non-fiction book, Bertuccelli’s film is the story of a young woman in the midst of a labor strike between rural workers at a salt mine and the military deployed against them by the owners. With attention to quotidian existence and minimal dialogue, Bertuccelli, in his late twenties during production, dramatizes the internal struggles of a newly independent nation while referencing France’s colonial history.

Jean-Louis Bertuccelli, 1969, 85min, DCP

Starring Leila Shenna, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Kricheche

Restored and digitized in 4K by Hiventy, with unanimous support from the CNC commission, and supervised by Julie Bertuccelli.

Cinema at L’Alliance New York is made possible by the generous support of BNP Paribas and Air France.

#