Post-beur Cinema

This is a comparative analysis of Maghrebi-French and North African emigre cinema in France. Since the early 1980s, the arrival of Beur cinema filmmakers of Maghrebi origin have made a key contribution to French cinema's representation of issues such as immigration, integration and national identity. However, they have done so mostly from a position on the margins of the industry. In contrast, since the early 2000s, Maghrebi-French and North African emigre filmmakers have occupied an increasingly prominent position on both sides of the camera, announcing their presence on French screens in a wider range of genres and styles than ever before. This greater visibility and move to the mainstream has not, however, automatically meant that these films have lost any of their social or political relevance. Through a detailed study of this transformative decade for Maghrebi-French and North African emigre filmmaking in France, this book argues for the emergence of a 'Post-Beur' cinema in the 2000s that is simultaneously global and local in its outlook. It provides a comprehensive overview of the key developments in Maghrebi-French and North African emigre filmmaking in France since the 2000s. It includes detailed case studies of key films from the 2000s that have yet to receive scholarly attention, such as La Graine et le mulet (Kechiche, 2007), Indigenes (Bouchareb, 2006), Cartouches gauloises (Charef, 2007), Le Grand voyage (Ferroukhi, 2004) and Dernier Maquis (Ameur-Zaimeche, 2008). It analyses trends in production, distribution and exhibition as they relate to Maghrebi-French and North African emigre filmmakers in the 2000s.