Screening: El Gusto + Q&A
The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Safinez Bousbia.
Chaabi music, a beautiful rhythmic cocktail uniting Muslim and Jewish traditions, was the heart and soul of cosmopolitan Algiers until the War of Independence began in 1954. By then, the two communities were no longer allowed to work together, the music stopped and friendships were forced apart.
On a visit to Algiers, Irish – Algerian director Safinez Bousbia met a craftsman who once played with the El Gusto Orchestra. After hearing his spirited story she decided to track down every surviving member. Half a century after conflict tore the musicians apart in a war highlighting differences rather than similarities, they got together again for an extraordinary concert.
In El Gusto Bousbia documents the music made by Muslim and Jewish communities before and after the Algerian revolution. The film explores the memories of their youth, the hopes they had for a musical future and tells the story of a changed city. Portraying independent thinkers and witnesses of contemporary French-Algerian history, illustrating that the universality of music can transcend difference and prejudice.
Directed by Safinez Bousbia
Duration: 88′
Year: 2011
