MES Film Series presents: Battle of Algiers

One of the most influential political films in history, The Battle of Algiers by Italian director Gillo Pontecorvo vividly re-creates a key year in the tumultuous Algerian struggle for independence from the occupying French in the 1950s. As violence escalates on both sides, children shoot soldiers at point-blank range, women plant bombs in cafés, and French soldiers resort to torture to break the will of the insurgents. Shot in the streets of Algiers in documentary style, the film is a case study in modern warfare, and has been hailed for its stunning realism, especially in its scenes of Algerian city life and large-scale public protest and rioting.