Malek Bensmaïl

Malek Bensmaïl (in Arabic: مالك بن اسماعيل), born in 1966 in Constantine, Algeria, is an Algerian director and screenwriter.

In the 1980s, in Algeria, he made essay films in super 8. After studying cinema in Paris followed by an internship in the Lenfilm studios in Saint Petersburg, he devoted his filmography to documentaries, entirely committed to Algeria. Through his films of reality, he draws the contours of a complex humanity: democracy, modernity-tradition, language, identity, society.

In 1996, he released Territoire(s), a documentary essay on archaic violence in the Arab world and post-modern violence in the West, the film won the Loupbar, the prize for best documentary discovery at the Festival du nouveau cinéma in Montreal and the Television prize at Avança/Porto. The same year, for Canal+, he made a short docu-fiction film that tells the story of the self-mockery of viewers towards the unique television: Algerian TV Show, he also made one of the cult programs Culture Pub on Algeria.

In 1998, Malek Bensmaïl released the film Décibled, on the daily life of five Algerian musicians in exile. In 1999, he co-directed a film on Mohammed Boudiaf, the Algerian president who was assassinated, six months after his return from 30 years of exile. In 2000, he made Des Vacances Malgré Tout, which won the Heritage Prize at the Festival du Cinéma du réel. In 2001, he made a short fiction film Dêmokratia broadcast on Arte and the BBC. In 2002, he directed Plaisirs d'Eau, then in 20…