Cinema
Wanderers of the Desert
الهائمون
Nacer Khemir · 1984
Synopsis
A young schoolteacher is posted to an isolated village on the edge of the desert, where there is no school. There he meets the trail-markers, men covered in dust who maintain an almost invisible track leading to another world, and who sing Andalusian airs before melting into the dunes. Drawn in by the mysteries, fables and legends of the place, he falls in love with the sheikh's daughter and discovers a buried memory, that of the Thousand and One Nights and of Córdoba.
Context
Khemir's first feature film, which he wrote, directed and in which he plays the schoolteacher, the film was co-produced by the Satpec, Latif Productions and France Média, with cinematography by Georges Barsky, editing by Moufida Tlatli and music by Fethi Zgonda; Soufiane Makni, Sonia Ichti and Noureddine Kasbaoui star in it. Spoken in Arabic, ninety-five minutes long, it was released in French cinemas from 30 April 1986. It opens the desert trilogy that Khemir continued in 1991 and in 2005. Restored by the Royal Belgian Film Archive, it was shown in Venice in 2017; according to Webmanager Center, Khemir's films were little seen in the Arab world.
Who it is for
A filmed tale, dreamlike, without didacticism, for those who like to be carried along by a labyrinthine narrative.
Prizes and reception
Grand Prize at the Three Continents Festival in Nantes, first work prize at Carthage and Golden Palm at Valencia in 1985.
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