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DGA celebrates Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers

November 16, 2016

A Special Projects Committee Event

On November 15, DGA members and guests gathered in the Guild’s Los Angeles Theater for a screening of Director Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers (La battaglia di Algeri). The evening was a celebration of this seminal classic film’s 50th anniversary.

One of the most influential political films in history, The Battle of Algiers vividly recreates a key year in the tumultuous Algerian struggle for independence from the occupying French in the 1950s. Shot on the streets of Algiers in documentary style, the film is a case study in modern warfare, with its terrorist attacks and the brutal techniques used to combat them. The film earned Pontecorvo Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Writing, Story and Screenplay - Written Directly for the Screen; and took home the Golden Lion, FIPRESCI Prize and the Award of the City of Venice at the 1966 Venice Film Festival.

Following the screening, the Guild hosted an in-depth conversation about the significance of the film with Directors Ted Braun (Darfur Now) and Mick Jackson (Denial); Author Sohail Daulatzai (Fifty Years of The Battle of Algiers: Past as Prologue); and Pontecorvo’s son and collaborator, Director-Cinematographer Marco Pontecorvo (Partly Cloudy with Sunny Spells). The discussion moderated by DGA Special Projects Committee Chair Jeremy Kagan (SHOT), explored the film’s influence on each of the panelist’s careers and the film’s legacy since its release, including its use by government agencies to understand terrorist motives. The celebration also featured video tributes from Directors Michael Apted (Unlocked, 56 Up) and Paul Greengrass (Captain Phillips), who spoke about how groundbreaking the film was and its lasting impact on modern cinema.

In addition to The Battle of Algiers, Pontecorvo’s other directorial works include the features The Wide Blue Road, Ogro, Burn! and Kapò; the documentaries Another World Is Possible, Ritorno ad Algeri and Missione Timiriazev; and the award-winning documentary Pane e zolfo. He passed away in 2006. 

Pictures & Video

Event photos by Shane Karns - Print Courtesy of Rialto Pictures

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FULL TALK (48:03): Director Jeremy Kagan leads a discussion after a screening of the landmark film The Battle of Algiers with Director Ted Braun, Director Mick Jackson, Professor Sohail Daulatzai, and Director Marco Pontecorvo.
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HIGHLIGHT: Director Ted Braun considers how the shifting perspective of The Battle of Algiers allows for empathy for both sides of the conflict while still maintaining a moral stance.
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HIGHLIGHT: Author Sohail Daulatzai speaks about the film's association with Third Cinema and the global context of when it was released.
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HIGHLIGHT: Director Mick Jackson praises the film for the life-like details employed to make the film seem like a documentary.
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HIGHLIGHT: Director Marco Pontecorvo shares insights about his father's film including the first time he viewed the The Battle of Algiers and how his father put up the money to make the film happen.
Gillo Pontecorvo directing a scene from his seminal feature, The Battle of Algiers. – photo courtesy of Photofest/Film Forum
DGA Members and guests sign in for the 50th Anniversary celebration of Director Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers at the DGA in Los Angeles.
Jean Martin as Col. Mathieu in Director Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers. – photo © 1966 - Argent Films
Italian Consul General Antonio Verde and DGA Association National Executive Director Russell Hollander attend the 50th Anniversary celebration of Director Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers at the DGA in Los Angeles.
An image from Director Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers. – photo courtesy of Rialto Pictures/Iconothque-Bibliothque du film (Paris).
DGA Special Projects Committee Chair Jeremy Kagan welcomes everyone to the 50th Anniversary celebration of Director Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers.
Mohamed Ben Kassen, Brahim Hadjadj, and Omar in Director Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers. – photo courtesy of Rialto Pictures/Photofest.
Via video tributes, Directors Michael Apted and Paul Greengrass acknowledge the importance of Director Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers.
Director Ted Braun, Author Sohail Daulatzai, Director Mick Jackson, Director-Cinematographer Marco Pontecorvo, and DGA Special Projects Committee Chair Jeremy Kagan (moderator) discuss Director Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers during the 50th Anniversary celebration of the film at the DGA in Los Angeles.
An image from Director Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers. – photo courtesy of Rialto Pictures/Photofest.
Director Ted Braun discusses what he learned from Director Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers.
An image from Director Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers.
Director Mick Jackson explains why he thinks Director Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers has had such a lasting effect on filmmakers.
An image from Director Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers.
Author Sohail Daulatzai, who penned the book Fifty Years of The Battle of Algiers: Past as Prologue, discusses the longevity of the film.
An image from Director Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers.
Director-Cinematographer Marco Pontecorvo speaks about the legacy of his father during the 50th Anniversary celebration of Director Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers.
Brahim Hadjadj as Ali La Pointe in Director Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers.
DGA Special Projects Committee Chair Jeremy Kagan (moderator) asks the panelists a question about the influence of Director Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers.
DGA Members and guests hear about the special significance of Director Gillo Pontecorvo’s The Battle of Algiers during the 50th Anniversary celebration of the film at the DGA in Los Angeles.
Gillo Pontecorvo’s son, Director-Cinematographer Marco Pontecorvo, greets Director John Singleton after the 50th Anniversary celebration of The Battle of Algiers at the DGA in Los Angeles.

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