“Papicha” is an intimate, socially resonant, female-driven drama. The vibrant, compelling coming-of-age story follows courageous young Muslim women as they claim their place and time in a world marked by inequality.
During the “black decade” of the 1990s, an oppressive system doomed women’s rights in Algeria, and the Civil War in the African country pushed the country back into obscurantism. Director Mounia Meddour decided to move from making documentaries to directing her first feature, loosely based on her experiences during those tumultuous years in college.
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| Mounia Meddour, director of “Papicha,” at DGA. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo. Festival in LA ©2019 |
In Meddour’s intimate story, the hero is a young woman named Nedjma. “Papicha,” played by Lyna Khoudri, who won the Best Actress award at the Venice Horizons for the 2017 film “The Blessed.”
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| Papicha, Jour 2 Fete ©2019 |
Lyna Khoudri’s performance in “Papicha” is truly outstanding! She plays the extraordinary, determined young Nedjma Papicha with remarkable skill.
At that age, female students want to dress up nicely, go to clubs, date, and have fun at the disco, like any other woman.
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| Papicha, Jour 2 Fete ©2019 |
While waiting for her Canadian visa to be issued, Nedjma’s dreams cannot be put on hold. As a serious design student, she won’t give up her fashion show so easily, but she cannot obtain the delicate fabrics she needs. She improvises dresses from bargain fabrics to create original designs that will wow everyone. Other young women students from various fields of study join her on the runway as an act of rebellion in their struggle for freedom.
The film rarely shows the authorities, but they are a dark, ever-present force that moves in the shadows, repressing those who dare to be different.
The project took five years to complete and required many script drafts. The female director said “Papicha” was hard to put together, and the film’s subject matter remains a sensitive topic for the authorities. Once she secured financing, Meddour could accurately and vividly depict her country’s reality, thanks to her background as a documentarian.
The opposition to women’s liberation in Algeria has never been portrayed so vividly and realistically as in “Papicha.”
Meddour started production with a mostly non-professional cast. The most challenging part of making the project was editing the film because the actors delivered different lines on every take. The director gave the actors plenty of freedom to improvise on set.
The actresses had plenty of time to rehearse and lived together in the same house for a week before filming. Their natural performances light up the screen, making “Papicha” a delightful movie.
Other contemporary films dramatize women’s struggle for emancipation in the Middle East, including this year’s Cannes Grand Prix winner, “Atlantics.” “Adam” is a cathartic film about women seeking to live free from old biases. Another relevant project about sexual repression in Morocco is “Muchly Loved,” directed by Nabil Ayouch in 2015. “Mustang,” the French-Turkish Oscar nominee, ends in tragedy as women awaken. “Divines,” made in France, depicts a young woman of color fighting for her survival in a violent city.
The Afghan feature “Hava, Maryam, Ayesha” relates three feminist stories about women’s struggles with chauvinistic men in their culture. Finally, the Canadian production “Antigone” is the story of a young African/Muslim immigrant struggling in Quebec’s courts to keep her family together and out of trouble.
In many Muslim countries, men use religion to oppress women and submit them to their own benefit. This brave piece properly acknowledges women’s struggle in Algerian society. Part of the Un Certain Regard competition at Cannes 2019, “Papicha” was also selected as the Official Algerian submission for Best International Film at the 92nd Academy Awards.
“Papicha” splendidly dares to respond to the imperative need for World Cinema to serve as a tool in women’s fight for equal rights.
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| Mounia Meddour, director of “Papicha,” at COLCOA. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo. Festival in LA ©2019 |
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| Mounia Meddour, director of “Papicha,” and film critic José Alberto Hermosillo. Festival in LA ©2019 |
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