The Words Women Spoke One Day

Raphaël Pillosio / France, Algeria / 2024 / Czech Premiere / 82 min.

synopsis

More than half a century after the Algerian War of Independence, the film opens up the topic of the role of women who were part of the uprising and played a significant role in the war. Some of them were sentenced to a decade in prison, others to the death penalty. After their release in 1962, a film was made with them, in which they shared their stories. Today, only a visual record of it exists; the audio has been irretrievably lost. The director embarks on an almost detective-like task, searching for the women in the footage and trying to recover their voice – symbolically and literally. In their memories, the past and the heroism of women who were not afraid to remain silent come to life.

“All this material I was trying to compose into a film: a film that awakens emotion rather than imposes it, a film that makes you think rather than asserting knowledge. A film that gives back a body, a name and words to these women.”

Quote source: European Film Academy

biography

After studying history and cinema, French director and producer Raphaël Pillosio (1977) worked as a teacher of documentary filmmaking and owns his own production company. He has made several documentaries exploring historical events and socio-political issues in contemporary Europe.