Mohamed Chouikh (born 1943) is an Algerian film-maker and actor.
Biography Mohamed Chouikh was born at Mostaganem, Algeria on 3 September 1943, where he was to become a stage actor with a troupe which later developed into the Algerian National Theatre. In 1965, he acted in one of Algeria's greatest film productions, L'Aube des damnés by René Vautier and Ahmed Rachedi. In 1966 he took the role of Lakhdar (the son) in Mohamed Lakhdar Hamina's highly successful Le vent des Aurès. In 1972 he directed L'Embouchure for Algerian TV, followed in 1974 by Les Paumés (1974). In 1982 he made his first feature-length film, Rupture, and has pursued a writer-director career since then.
Filmography +YearFilmGenreRole1965L'ObstacleDramaActor1966Rih al awrasDramaActor1969Les hors-la-loiDramaActor1970Élise ou la vraie vieDramaActor1972L'embouchureTV MovieDirector1974Les paumésTV MovieDirector1976Les nomadesDramaActor1979 Mais où et donc OrnicarDramaActor1982Rupture (al-Inquita – Breakdown)DramaDirector Writer1984Maquam EchahidDramaDirector1988La Citadelle (al-Qala – The Citadel)DramaDirector Writer1994Youcef: La légende du septième dormant (Youcef kesat dekra sabera – Youcef: The Legend of the Seventh Sleeper) DramaDirector Writer1997 L'Arche du désert (The Desert Ark)DramaDirector Writer1999MonnetteShort filmActor2003Raqsat errihuAdventure Drama
FantasyActor2005Douar de femmes (Douar al-nisaa – Hamlet of Women)DramaDirector2014L'Andalou (Al Andalousee)
Awards and nominations
+YearFilmFestivalAwardResults1988The CitadelAmiens International Film FestivalGolden Unicorn Award for Best Film1989The CitadelFestróia - Tróia International Film FestivalGolden Dolphin Award1990The CitadelFribourg International Film FestivalTrigon Film Award1993YoucefAmiens International Film FestivalPrize of the City of Amiens1997The Ark of the DesertLocarno Film FestivalGolden Leopard Award1997The Ark of the DesertNamur International Festival of French-Speaking FilmSpecial Mention1997The Ark of the DesertNamur International Festival of French-Speaking FilmGolden Bayard award for Best Film (Meilleur Film Francophone)1998The Ark of the DesertFestróia - Tróia International Film FestivalGolden Dolphin Award1999The Ark of the DesertOuagadougou Panafrican Film and Television FestivalJury Special Prize1999The Ark of the DesertOuagadougou Panafrican Film and Television FestivalOAU Award
References
Further reading Guy Austin, "Mohamed Chouikh: From Anticolonial Commemoration to a Cinema of Contestation" in: Josef Gugler (ed.), Ten Arab Filmmakers: Political Dissent and Social Critique, Indiana University Press, 2015, , pp. 166–187