Through interviews and archival footage, L'Algérie du Possible (2016) (approx. 82 minutes) traces the path of the Yves Mathieu, an anticolonialist in Africa, who then became a lawyer for Algeria’s National Liberation Front. When Algeria won its independence, Mathieu drew up the March Decrees relating to vacated property and self-management, promulgated in 1963 by Ahmed Ben Bella. Mathieu's life was punctuated by his commitment to Algeria, which was then called “The Beacon of the Third World.” The film’s director, his daughter, takes a look at the circumstances surrounding his death in 1966.

A post-screening discussion will be led by Eve Moeykens-Arballo.

About the Filmmaker

Viviane Candas studied art in Aix en Provence and theater in Paris. Before meeting Paulo Branco who produced her first long fiction films, Candas directed films, portraits, documentaries, and experimental films on her own. In addition, she has published two novels and continues to work in theater but cinema remains her privileged practice. Her work in the past has focused on critically re-examining and recreating the lives of painters such as Valadon, Utrillo, and Cézanne. The figure of her father, who she lost as a child in Algeria, is found throughout her cinematic work. Absence becomes presence as Candas brings the memory of her father to life on the screen. As a result, Algérie du Possible is a work of memory around this man and all of the lives he impacted. 

About the Participants

Eve Moeykens-Arballo is a researcher, archivist, and curator based in Los Angeles, California. She is currently an MA Candidate in the Curatorial Practices and the Public Sphere program at USC’s Roski School of Art and Design focusing on issues of access as it relates to the underground film movement. Her curatorial practice concerns itself with the function of memory, historical consciousness, and the processing of personal experiences as it relates to understanding one’s environment.