AWARDS

2019 Cannes Festival – Nomination of Critics’ Week
2019 Cinemed Festival Cinéma Méditerranéen Montpellier – Winner of Critics’ Prize

SYNOPSIS

Algeria, 1994. With Civil War raging for years in the north of the country, each day continues to bring its share of death and horror. Police officers S. and Lotfi, two childhood friends, travel through the desert looking for Abou Leila, a dangerous terrorist on the run. In the immensity of the Sahara, their quest seems absurd, but Lofti has only one priority: to keep S. as far from the capital as possible, knowing his friend is too fragile to face more bloodshed. But the deeper they get into the desert, the more they are confronted with their own trauma and violence.

PRESS

Screen Daily : ‘Abou Leila’: Cannes Review
Liberation : “ABOU LEILA”, PERCHÉS DANS LE DÉSERT
Huffpost : Ce que le cinéma peut faire : Abou Leila
Cineuropa : CANNES 2019 Critics’ Week Review: Abou Leila

CAST

Slimane Benouari
Lyès Salem
Azouz Abdelkader
Azouz Abdelkader
Fouad Megiraga
Meriem Medjkrane
Hocine Mokhtar
Samir El Hakim

Executive Producer : In Vivo Films
Film exports/foreign sales : Films Boutique
Foreign production company : Thala Films
Executive producers : Claire Charles-Gervais, Louise Bellicaud
Foreign producers : Fayçal Hammoum, Yacine Bouaziz
Sound : Amine Teggar, Nessim El Mounabbih, Benjamin Lécuyer
Editor : Amin Sidi-Boumediène
Production Designers : Hamid Boughrara, Laurent Le Corre
Screenwriter : Amin Sidi-Boumediène
Director of Photography : Kanamé Onoyama
Press Attaché (film) : Chloé Lorenzi
Continuity supervisor : Sandra Di Pasquale