Malek Bensmaïl

Algeria

Malek Bens­maïl was born in Cons­tan­tine, Alge­ria in 1966. Early in his youth, he shot films in Super 8. Since comple­ting his film studies in Paris and trai­ning at Lenfilm studios in Saint Peters­burg. He has devo­ted his film­ma­king efforts to the docu­men­tary genre. All of his films relate to the history of his coun­try.His signa­ture cine­ma­to­gra­phy depicts the complex, sensi­tive contours of huma­nity. His aim is to use film as a medium for cultu­ral reflec­tion and compa­ri­son.His films have recei­ved criti­cal acclaim and have won awards at a number of festi­vals world­wide.

In 2010, he is laureate of the Villa Kujuyama (Villa Méde­cis Asia) in Kyôto for his feature film project Odys­seys. In 2020, Malek Bens­maïl is nomi­na­ted member of the Oscars Academy.