True Chronicles of the Blida Joinville Psychiatric Hospital

True Chronicles of the Blida Joinville Psychiatric Hospital in the Last Century, when Dr Frantz Fanon Was Head of the Fifth Ward between 1953 and 1956.
Directed by Abdenour Zahzah.

The influential politician and activist Frantz Fanon works as a psychiatrist in Algeria between 1953-1956. He pioneers new social therapies to treat the psychological effects of racism during the decolonisation movement.

About the Director
Abdenour Zahzah is an Algerian screenwriter, director and producer. Further to his university graduation, Abdenour was director at the Blida (province in Algeria) cinémathèque from 1998 through 2003. His first film Frantz Fanon, mémoire d’asile was released in 2002. He traveled to France, where he made two documentary films, and spent a long time at the Moulin d’Andé in Normandy, where he made a film with the writer Maurice Pons: Returning to Algeria in 2007. He made several commissioned documentaries, but it was with his short fiction film Garagouz, a multi-award-winning film, that he made a name for himself. After a feature-length documentary, L’Oued, L’Oued, which won critical acclaim at festivals, he directed his first feature-length fiction film in 2024, about Dr. Frantz Fanon’s Blida-Joinville years.

About Cinema Akil
Cinema Akil is the arthouse cinema dreams are made of —cosy, quirky, and a pioneer in bringing critically-acclaimed films from around the world to UAE audiences.

Founded by Butheina Kazim, Cinema Akil promotes the goal of education and awareness-building around film and the cinematic arts.

After years of hosting nomadic pop ups in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah, Cinema Akil established itself as the first arthouse cinema in the GCC in 2018, quickly becoming a fan favourite.