(Oscar nomination and Cannes Best Actor & Francois Chalais Awards)

Rachid Bouchareb's heartfelt Oscar-nominated Days of Glory/Indigenes is a tribute to the sacrifices made by hundreds of thousands of North Africans drafted into the French army to help liberate France from the clutches of the Nazis in World War 2. The film deploys a linear narrative and vividly drawn characters to chart the experiences of a handful of Algerians and Moroccans as they make their perilous way through Italy, Provence and the Vosges to Alsace. The cast collectively won the Best Actor prize at Cannes and the film's premiere in France caused a sensation, breaking box office records and compelling French President Jacques Chirac to overturn the shameful ban on pensions being paid to these North African heroes. A must-see film made all the more powerful and timely in the current debate about multi-culturalism, clashes of civilisations and wars on terror.

France-Morocco-Algeria-Belgium, 2006 / Rachid Bouchareb
With Jamel Debbouze, Samy Nacéri, Roschdy Zem
128 mins