[Commlist] Symposium and Screening: From The Battle of Algiers to No Other Land. 60 Years of Decolonization in the Arab Screens

*Call for Papers*

*Symposium and Screening: From /The Battle of Algiers/ to /No Other 
Land/. 60 Years of Decolonization in the Arab Screens*

Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, September 5-6, 2026

*Organizers*

Wissam Mouawad, PhD, Abu Dhabi University, UAE

Jairo Lugo-Ocando, PhD, University of Sharjah, UAE

Next year marks the 60th anniversary of the film The Battle of Algiers 
(Gillo Pontecorvo, 1966) and 30 years of Chronicle of a Disappearance 
(Elia Suleiman, 1996), which has been called a masterpiece of historical 
accuracy (von Tunzelmann, 2009; Abu-Remaileh, 2008). The film has been 
also referred to by several of the most important film directors as “the 
greatest war movie ever” and one of the most influential in their own 
careers (Studio Binder, 2025). Framed within the school of Italian 
realism and situated within a wider practice of emerging anticolonial 
filmmaking in the region, the film had paramount impact upon the 
collective imagination around colonialism by portraying the brutality of 
French occupation.

After more than a half century of the first screening of this 
masterpiece, the film continues to project its influence across regions. 
Originally banned in France, the film has been followed by many other 
movies that depict colonialism and power struggle in the Arab world, 
including Elia Suleiman's debut film Chronicle of a Disappearance (1966) 
to the most recent Oscar-winning film No Other Land (Basel Adra, Hamdan 
Ballal, Yuval Abraham, and Rachel Szor, 2024), which many distributors 
have refused to screen in the USA and Europe. Indeed, decolonization in 
the Arab screen is today more present than ever because is more needed 
than ever.

To celebrate the 60 years of The Battle of Algiers, and the emergence of 
anticolonial filmmaking in the Arab world, The University of Sharjah and 
Abu Dhabi University are organizing a joint symposium around the legacy 
of these films in terms of politics, popular culture, and film language. 
Accepted papers will be considered for a special issue of the 
Scopus-indexed journal Film International. Journal of World Cinema 
(Intellect) and potentially an edited book collection. Among the 
possible topics we suggest but not limited to:

  * Endurance and legacy of The Battle of Algiers in the cinematic world.
  * Arab films, decolonization, and resistance
  * The cinematic aesthetics of colonialism and decolonization in the
    Arab screen
  * Film language of colonial power and resistance
  * Historicism and accuracy when depicting colonial violence
  * Censorship and film in the colonial and post-colonial Arab settings
  * Neo-colonial hegemony in film and the struggle to reclaim the discourse
  * Other related topics

Abstract of 200 words should be sent by February 12, 2026 to 
(battleofalgiers1966 /at/ gmail.com) <mailto:(battleofalgiers1966 /at/ gmail.com)>

Best papers will be considered for the journal Film International - 
https://www.intellectbooks.com/film-international-journal-of-world-cinema 
<https://www.intellectbooks.com/film-international-journal-of-world-cinema>

Participation is free

*Free event 
registration:*https://www.eventbrite.com/e/symposium-60-years-of-the-battle-of-algiers-tickets-1976623679635?aff=oddtdtcreator 
<https://www.eventbrite.com/e/symposium-60-years-of-the-battle-of-algiers-tickets-1976623679635?aff=oddtdtcreator>

*References*

Abu-Remaileh, R. (2008). Palestinian anti-narratives in the films of 
Elia Suleiman. /Arab Media and Society/, 5, 1-29.

Studio Binder. (2025). (104) Why Do Filmmakers Call 'This The Greatest 
War Movie Ever?' - /YouTube/. YouTube Channel. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW7DeYFbIWI 
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PW7DeYFbIWI>

von Tunzelmann, A. (2009). The Battle of Algiers: A masterpiece of 
historical accuracy [News]. /The Guardian/. 
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/mar/26/the-battle-of-algiers-film-historical-accuracy 
<https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/mar/26/the-battle-of-algiers-film-historical-accuracy> 


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