La maison jaune (The Yellow House)

Algerien/Frankreich 2008, 84 min, English subtitles
in the presence of director Amor Hakkar

When the Berber family learns of the death of its eldest son during his military service, the father sets out to bring his body home. Faced with daunting bureaucratic obstacles, Maloud abducts the corpse on his tractor’s trailer. But he is helped at every turn as his long journey back unfolds like a utopian road movie about cooperative solidarity. However, a greater challenge awaits Maloud at home: finding a remedy for his inconsolable wife’s sorrow. The family’s attempt to assuage her grief by painting the house yellow misfires…

Award winner at the Locarno Film Festival and Valencia Mediterranean Film Festival in 2007.

Amor Hakkar (*1958). The director and author, born in Algeria in 1958 and raised in France, made his directorial debut in 1990 with “Apprends-moi à compter jusqu’à l’infini.” Amor Hakkar was both director of and leading actor in “La maison jaune.” His “La Preuve” appeared at the 2013 Dubai International Film Festival.