The Battle of Algiers

A political drama directed in 1966 by Gillo Pontecorvo - a journalist by training and active participant in the anti-fascist resistance of Italian youth. The film is considered one of the most influential revolutionary thrillers in cinema history.

The film analyzes the Algerian uprising for state sovereignty and the end of French rule during 1954-1962. Pontecorvo employed documentary methods, studying numerous sources in the year before filming and examining authentic locations of the Algerian revolutionary struggle.

The result is a thought-provoking film whose disturbing images reveal the logic of armed liberation struggle in all its weight: any means are justified to achieve national freedom, objective ethical dimensions cease to exist, and terrorism targeting civilians becomes the most effective tactic.