In the Shadow of Sadness, ‘For My Country’ Tells a Very Personal Yet Universally Relevant Story

celebrated its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival pool la france (English title: for my country) by French film director Rashid Hami.Deeply affecting and timely, this France-Taiwan co-production Aysa, a young officer from Algeria, tragically died during the entrance ceremony to Saint-Cyr, France’s famous military academy. for my country Hami’s younger brother, Jalal, was born out of a similar tragedy when he died during the Moyamoya ceremony at Saint Seal.

“It took me seven years to write this movie. It was a very long process. “I wanted to make a pure film that gave the audience space without tearing them down.”

for my country It also grapples with the economic devastation and social realities of a country still grappling with the baggage of French colonial rule. Intentional discrepancy with the film’s original title (pool la france) and its English title (for my country) reflects the film’s deeper exploration into issues of national entitlement, post-colonialism, and national belonging.

“I’m French, but I was born in Algeria. France is like my adoptive mother and Algeria is like my biological mother,” says Hami. “My biological mother did not provide me with education, security or food. France is my adoptive mother. She gave me a future, hope and food security. At the same time, she was very violent towards me. She treated me differently than her own children.”

In addition to Algeria and France, it was important for Hami to set the story in Taiwan (much like Aisa in the film), as her older brother was studying at the National Taiwan University. Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) becomes key partner and funder Through Taiwan’s international co-investment programAmy Ma and Ma Tien-Tsung from Taiwan also joined the project as producers and executive producers respectively.

“In 2010, when my older brother was attending school in Taiwan, I went to Taiwan for the first time. I lived in Taiwan for two years.I don’t know why, but I felt the need to go there.I shot a short film.It was the beginning of my own personal journey.”

When for my countryHami returned to the Venice Film Festival after her feature debut, orchestra class, was screened in the festival’s out-of-competition program in 2017. Karim Leklow and Shine Boomedeen played her two brothers and Lubna Azabal played her mother. for my country.

The screenplay was co-written with French philosopher and novelist Olivier Priol. After the film’s producer Nicolas Movernay introduced Hami to him in 2018, the pandemic posed a major challenge to the film’s production schedule. In 2020, Hami began preparing to shoot the film, but production had to be postponed. There was another spike in Covid-19 infections when he arrived in Taiwan to shoot the movie in 2021. Just 10 days before production began, the filmmakers had cleared about 70% of the filming location. lost. Also, for one scene, he had 300 extras on set and production had to shut down an entire street so they could comply with Covid-19 protocols.

“There was a crazy moment when we saw the entire Taiwanese crew, the people of TAICCA, the government and the city fighting for us to secure a place as soon as possible,” Hami says. “In Taiwan, we saw a great deal of willingness to help and ensure the film’s realization.”

It took Hami a very long time to bring writing, soul searching, and healing. for my country to Venice. “We kept this charm going for his three days and had a great moment with the audience showing it off for the first time. Yes, the theater experience is an emotional one. [get to] Share with others. You don’t know them, they sit around you, but you can feel them. I think it’s great when you share this feeling as a huge community in cinema,” Hami said. increase.

Next, Hami is working on an anthology film set in Taiwan. Tales of TaipeiThis anthology film will involve directors from Asia and Europe, each producing a short film in Taipei. Hami is also writing the script for her next film.