Algerian screenwriter and director Anis Djaad passed away on Wednesday evening at the age of 52 following a long illness, according to his relatives.
Born in 1974 in Algiers, the late director grew up in the Bab El Oued neighborhood. He began his career in cinema as a screenwriter and assistant director before moving on to direct short films based on his own scripts.
Djaad was also an author, writing novels such as “The Scent of the Violin” (2009). His short film credits as writer and director include “At the End of the Tunnel,” “The Thirsty,” and “The Porthole” (Le Hublot), the latter of which received the award for best short film screenplay at the Algiers Cinema Days.
His feature filmography includes “Passage à niveau,” “Keltoum’s Journey” (2016), “Life After” (2021), and “Abid’s Night” (2023).
The late director’s works garnered numerous accolades, particularly his feature film “Life After,” which won the African Critics Award at the 33rd edition of the Carthage Film Festival in Tunisia, as well as the “Golden Anklet” Audience Award at the National Festival of Women’s Literature and Cinema in Saida, among other honors.
