Pour la France (For My Country) Rachid Hami, 2022, 113 min.
Film screening and discussion with Director Rachid Hami, Madeleine Dobie and Emmanuel Kattan
In French with English subtitles
RSVP HERE
Aissa, a young officer of Algerian origin, tragically loses his life during a fresher initiation ritual at the prestigious French military academy of Saint-Cyr. As the death tears through his family, controversy arises over Aissa’s funeral plans when the Army refuses to take responsibility. Ismael, his older, rebellious brother, tries to keep the family united as they fight to win justice for Aissa.
Watch the trailer here
Rachid Hami was born on August 16, 1985 in Algiers. He is an actor and director, known for Choisir d'aimer (2008), La Mélodie (2017) and Pour la France (2022). His last film is inspired by the death of his brother. “Tragedy makes everything bigger, more intense. Yet, when it hits you, it does so unexpectedly and insidiously,” wrote Rachid Hami. In Fall 2012, around midnight, the students at a military school organized a hazing: the freshmen were urged to enter a freezing cold pond. The lights go off. Panic. Many nearly drowned. In this confusion, a young student officer went missing: Jallal Hami. For My Country deals with a political topic while always remaining personal.
This event is co-sponsored by the Columbia Maison Française and Alliance Program, with support provided by Unifrance