Ahmed Bedjaoui


Ahmed Bedjaoui is a film director, producer, critic, and academic. He is known for his early films of the late 1960s and for hosting and producing the iconic television program Télé Ciné Club, which he presented for twenty years. He is also known for his academic and editorial work on Algerian cinema.

Biography

Ahmed Bedjaoui studied cinema at the IDHEC in Paris and earned a PhD in American Civilization and Literature. A university professor, he taught audiovisual journalism and film studies at the University of Algiers 3. Still active in Algeria’s cultural scene, he was one of the pioneering founders of the Algerian Cinémathèque, a film critic for several newspapers and magazines, founder and president of the International Biennale of Film and Archaeology of Tipasa, and artistic director of the Algiers International Festival. He also served as director and programmer for various international events. Bedjaoui is a member of the executive board of the International Council for Film, Television and Audiovisual Communication under UNESCO, and holds positions in several Algerian film institutions.
In 2015, he was awarded the Fellini Medal for his contribution to the defense and promotion of cinema worldwide.

Career and contributions

Ahmed Bedjaoui hosted for several decades the television program Télé Ciné Club, which became a cornerstone of cinematic education and discovery for generations of Algerian viewers. He directed short and medium-length films in the late 1960s and produced or co-produced major works of Algerian cinema. Among the dozens of films he produced are Nahla by Farouk Beloufa, the two feature films by Assia Djebar, Bouamama by Benamar Bakhti, and Kahla Oua Beida by Abderrahmane Bouguermouh. He also published several books on Algerian cinema, particularly on representations of the War of Independence.

Filmography

Director

  • 1968: Le Grand Détour
  • 1969: Histoires de la révolution — collective film
  • 1974: ''Le Doigt dans l'engrenage''

    Producer (1976–1985, over 70 feature films for RTA)

  • Executive producer on Boualem Zid El Goudam by Moussa Haddad
  • Nahla by Farouk Beloufa
  • La Nouba des femmes du Mont Chenoua and La Zerda ou les chants de l'oubli by Assia Djebar
  • Kahla oua Beida and Les Oiseaux de l'Été by Abderrahmane Bouguermouh
  • Bouamama by Benamar Bakhti
  • Le Défi and Libération by Moussa Haddad
  • Les Rameaux de feu by Mohamed Ifticene

    Television

  • Télé Ciné Club — host / critic

    Awards and positions

  • Speaker and programmer for international events ; former cultural official involved in Algerian cinema institutions.