Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival | THE BLOND BOY FROM THE CASBAH

Passionate filmmaker Antoine travels to his birthplace, Algiers, with his young son to present his new film: an account of his childhood in 1960s Algeria during the country’s civil war. As he wanders through the city, the filmmaker immerses us in the moments of laughter and tears of his childhood – spent between school, friends, and his Sephardic Jewish family. Growing up in the final moments of Algeria’s pre-independence period, the young Antoine discovers his profound fascination with cinema and starts to understand who he truly is. A joyful and nostalgic love letter to the Algiers of prolific French filmmaker Alexandre Arcady’s youth, this enchanting semi-autobiographical drama won Best Film at the UK Jewish Film Festival. Post-screening discussion with Dr. Simon Sibelman, Professor Emeritus, French and Holocaust Studies, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.