The Politics and Aesthetics of the Algerian Cinema of Sid Ali Mazif: Women’s Experiences in Focus

This thesis analyses the Algerian cinema of Sid Ali Mazif as a distinct national style which represents the intersection of feminism, postcolonialism, and avant-garde culture. It makes the case for examining the politics and aesthetics of the cinema of Mazif through a feminist approach to representations of women’s experiences. More specifically, this study deconstructs the representation of women in the films and documentaries of Mazif, placing a strong emphasis on the representational, thematic, and stylistic components of gender representation. It considers the social and political context of each work to understand the ways female subjectivity is shaped through the portrayal of the journeys of female protagonists. The thesis explores the dialectical nature of the cinematic style of Mazif, with his films reflecting his militantism towards women, and forging a connection between a fictional imaginary and a referential reality. Overall, this research demonstrates that the cinema of Mazif captures women’s experiences and voices through representational and stylistic signifiers which point to a militant feminist signature. By approaching the practice of Mazif’s cinema, namely Leila et les Autres (1977), Houria (1987), Nana Taous (2005) and Le Patio (2015), as a self-conscious feminist one, the films analysed in this thesis readily fall into the realm of social critique, in that they question discriminatory and repressive social practices against Algerian women beyond the political sphere.