Amor Hakkar, Algeria
Amor Hakkar was born in 1958 in the Aures area in Algeria. When he was six months old, his parents left their village to settle in Besançon in France. He initially studied Sciences and then discovered his passion for the cinema and writing. He made a shortfilm and then a feature Sale temps pour un voyou (Bad Luck for a Young Lout). This film was officially selected to compete in festivals in Carthage, Tetouan and Paris. In 2001, he wrote a novel ‘La Cite des fausses-notes’ which also won several awards. In 2002 Amor directed a documentary about life in the heart of the Aures which won the TV5 Prize at the Festival Vues d’Afrique in Montreal in 2003. After a psychologically difficult return to Algeria in 2002, when he burried his father, he discovered the area of The Aures to which he now travels very often. On his return to France, he wrote the script of The Yellow House. At the end of 2006, he made the film The Yellow House in the Aures in the Berber language. The Yellow House was one of the most popular films at FESPACO 2009, and has won several prizes worldwide. Amor is currently preparing another feature film.
Amor will take part in a discussion after the screening of his film The Yellow House on Tue 27 Oct. Mr Hakkar is also the main judge for our short film competition this year.