Matoub Lounès: The Story of a Legend
Spring Grant 2012 - Development Stage
Régine Abadia / Feature Documentary / Algeria, France, Qatar / 90 min / Original Language: Amazigh, French / Interests: Documentary
Synopsis
In the Berber-speaking world, Kabyle singer Matoub Lounès is a legend. Assassinated in 1998, he was a rebel at heart. He stood up against his two enemies: the Algerian government and Islamic fundamentalists. His weapons were his eloquence, his songs and his poems. This documentary, shot in France and Algeria, will piece together interviews with those who knew Matoub and tell the life story of a musician who, throughout his 20-year career, overcame his fears and said in his songs that which it was forbidden to say.
Credits
- Director
- Régine Abadia
- Screenwriter
- Régine Abadia
- Producer
- Bachir Derrais, Stéphane Jourdain
About the Director
Régine Abadia began her career directing short fiction films and has won several awards. She has directed many documentaries in the last 10 years, most of them co-produced by the French channel Arte, including ‘Yasmina & Mohammed’, (2012), ‘Jenny Bel’Air’ (2007), ‘La Tête à l’envers’ (2005), ‘Why Walk When We Can Roll?’ (2003), ‘Dalida, chez nous soyez reine’ (2002), ‘Pigalle Night and Day’ (2000) and ‘The Spirit of Gospel (1998). Her first feature film, ‘A Strange Attraction’, produced by Crescendo Films, is currently in production. Abadia also works as a scriptwriter with feature-film director Jan Kounen.