El Gusto

Algeria/United Arab Emirates/Ireland/France 2011, 90 Min, English subtitles
(director Safinez Bousbia will be present)

An extraordinary band revival and a tribute to religious tolerance: In her debut film, Safinez Bousbia follows the 73-year-old guitarist Mustafa Tahmi through the alleyways of Algiers. He recalls the time during which Jewish and Muslim musicians still played chaabi together at weddings, funerals and celebrations here. Torn apart by the turmoil of the war for independence, the civil war and exile, the group reunites after more than 50 years. In a brilliant concert in Marseille, they celebrate their shared love of chaabi music.

International Film Critics’ Prize and award for best Arab director at the 2011 Abu Dhabi Film Festival.

Safinez Bousbia, born in 1981, the Algerian-Irish filmmaker and producer studied architecture and design in Oxford and Dublin. In 2003 in Algiers she learned of the story of the Chaâbi musicians shown in her awardwinning film debut, “El Gusto.” At the 2011 Abu Dhabi Film Festival she received awards including “Best Arab Director.”