Berber Film and Cultural Festival

North Africa’s Imazighen: Shared Cultures among Ethnic and Religious Diversity Film Festival, which Stephen Zunes (Middle Eastern Studies) has kindly agreed to co-sponsor together with John Zarobell (Global Studies), in collaboration with LLC (Raquel Villamil- Acera) and UC Berkeley’s Middle Eastern Studies and Jewish Studies programs (Sarah Levin).

The theme of the festival is “Berbers/Amazigh: Religious Diversity within a Shared Culture.” The event aims to foster interdisciplinary dialogue on cultural, religious, and historical diversity within Berber/Amazigh societies through film and scholarly discussion.

For more information or inquiries, please contact Professor Zehlia Babaci-Wilhite or Elizabeth Johnson

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PROGRAM:

Opening: 10:00 am   

Welcome and Introduction by Dr. Zehlia Babaci-Wilhite & Jeff Paris (Dean of College of the Arts and Sciences) 

A Historical Overview of the Berbers by Dr. Farah Bekhouche Culture Attaché of the Algerian Consulate of San Francisco 

Jewish and Muslim Imazighen (Berbers): Shared Cultural Heritage by Professor Sarah Levin from UC- Berkeley Berber and European Jewish Voices at the time of the creation of Israel by Professor Alix Mazuet from Stanford University followed by Q&A. 

Feature Film: 11:30 am

Fouroulou by Ali Berkennou, Algeria, 2023 (90 minutes) 

Fouroulou (from Mouloud Feraoun’s novel Le Fils du pauvre or The Poor Man’s Son) is a coming-of-age story about Menrad Fouroulou, a sensitive Kabyle boy in colonial Algeria, chronicling his journey from a traditional village to French education, navigating cultural clashes, poverty, and his evolving identity as he strives to become a teacher, offering a poignant look at Berber life under French rule, its hardships, and the search for belonging. 

North African Lunch and Discussion: 1:00 pm 

Questions/Answers and a Short Documentary by Izza Genini (TBD) 

Feature Documentary: 2:00 pm

In Your Eyes I See My Country by Kamal Hachkar, Morocco, 2019 (75 minutes) 

In Your Eyes, I See My Country (original French title: Dans tes yeux, je vois mon pays) is a 2019 documentary following Israeli Judeo-Moroccan musicians Neta Elkayam and Amit Haï Cohen as they journey to Morocco to explore their ancestral roots, reconnecting with their heritage through music, encounters with locals, and performances, ultimately reshaping their understanding of their identity and shared history. 

Panel Discussion with Mint Tea: 3:15 pm

Questions and Answers on Shared Amazigh culture across Muslim and Jewish communities with Neta Elkayam and Kamal Hachkar.  

Feature Documentary: Ethnic Group and the Occupation of Western Sahara: 3:45 pm
Sons of the Clouds: The Last Colony by Javier Bardem, 2012 (80 minutes)

This is a documentary on the legal and humanitarian consequences of the Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara. Produced by Academy Award-winning actor Javier Bardem, it tells the story of this often-overlooking conflict, which has resulted in 170,000 Sahrawis forced to live in harsh desert refugee camps, the severe repression for those remaining under Moroccan rule, and the refusal of the international community to recognize the Western Saharan people’s right to self-determination.

Discussion with Mint Tea: 5:00 pm
A history of Western Sahara & Its Colonization: The Sahrawis’ Struggle for Self-Determination
Stephen Zunes, University of San Francisco followed by Q&A.

Historic Photographs: 5:30 pm

Colonial Photography of Berber Culture by John Zarobell, University of San Francisco followed by Q&A. 

Evening: 6:00 pm 

Closing remarks by Professors Stephen Zunes and Zehlia Babaci-Wilhite.

Cultural Reception: Terga Live Music with Traditional Food Representing Amazigh Heritage.