Exhibition highlights North African cinema's role in France

An exhibition titled A History of French Cinema. North African Heritage will be held at the National Museum of the History of Immigration from Friday, October 30, 2026, to Sunday, March 21, 2027. Curated by Clémentine Déroudille, the exhibition is part of the Mediterranean Season 2026 and explores the influence of North African-origin artists on French cinema.

Exhibition features restored films and new creators

The exhibition retraces the contribution of North African-origin artists to French cinema through films, posters, archives, photographs, and emblematic objects. Several restored or digitized works for the occasion are displayed alongside the creations of new generations who are currently renewing the seventh art.

Focus on shaping cinema, not just immigration

According to histoire-immigration.fr, the website of the Museum, "For more than sixty years, French cinema has been transformed under the influence of filmmakers, actors, and actresses from North African immigration." The exhibition highlights those who have contributed to writing the history of French cinema rather than focusing on the representation of immigration in cinema.

Algerian director Ali Ghalem honored

The Algerian director Ali Ghalem, a pioneer of North African cinema in France, is highlighted with his film Mektoub (1970), which tells from the inside the fate of Algerian immigrant workers facing the precariousness of shantytowns and the search for employment in France.

Recognition of Rachid Bouchareb and others

The exhibition also revisits his compatriot Rachid Bouchareb, whose film Indigènes, dedicated to North African soldiers who fought for the liberation of France during World War II, has left a mark and received several awards, including the Best Male Ensemble Award at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006.

Modern and historical figures showcased

Among other figures, the politician and filmmaker Yamina Benguigui, who gave a voice to immigrant women with Inch'Allah dimanche, and the Moroccan-born actor Jamel Debbouze, who has become one of the most popular faces of French cinema, are featured. Around these personalities revolve other notable names, testifying to the vitality of a heritage that continues to shape contemporary French cinema.