Chronicle of the Years of Fire (Ahdat Sanawovach El-Djamr )

Almost a decade after The Battle of Algiers struck audiences with scenes of urban Algerians at boiling point, Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina captured the tumult and revolt far from the city centre. Spanning decades in its scope, the windswept epic follows farmer Ahmed as he and those around him are beset by drought, famine and disease, and incensed by the privilege of French colonisers. Snapped to respond by the ongoing misery and hunger, Ahmed helps mobilise his people against those who took their land. Coursing with anger and sorrow, madness and menace, Chronicle delivers a sweeping account of mass awakening.

Restored by The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project and Cineteca di Bologna at L’Image Retrouvée and L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratories. Restoration funded by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation.This restoration is part of the African Film Heritage Project, and initiative created by The Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project, the Pan African Federation of Filmmakers and UNESCO – in collaboration with Cineteca di Bologna – to help locate, restore, and disseminate African cinema.

Cannes Film Festival: Palme d’Or