Outside The Law opening on March 25th in Toronto & Montreal

from GAT

“… certainly a handsome-looking film.” “…lensing is classically perfect …” “…sweeping score milks every emotional moment.“ Jay Weissberg, Variety

“…powerful and well made.” Stephen Holden, New York Times

“…utterly absorbing from first minute to last.” Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter

(Toronto – March 8, 2011) Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi) is a 2010 dramatic feature film written and directed by Rachid Bouchareb, with a sweeping story that takes place between 1945 and 1962 and focuses on the lives of three Algerian brothers who fight for Algeria’s independence from France after World War II. It is a stand-alone follow-up to Bouchareb’s 2006 Academy Award nominated film Days of Glory, which was set during World War II.

After losing their family home in Algeria, three brothers are scattered across the globe. Messaoud joins the French army fighting in Indochina; Abdelkader becomes a leader of the Algerian independence movement; Saἳd moves to Paris to make his fortune in the shady clubs and boxing halls of Pigalle. Gradually, their interconnecting destinies reunite them in the French capital where freedom is a battle to be fought and won.

Outside the Law was a French majority production with co-producers in Algeria, Tunisia and Belgium, and the film’s historically unorthodox portrayal of the 1945 Sétif massacre sparked a political controversy in France. Bouchareb comments: “The French, Algerians, North Africans and Africans, especially the younger generations, need to know about the colonial past. Maybe after seeing the film, they’ll want to find out more in books. In that respect, the film launches a debate in which everyone can have a say. Concerning events in Sétif in 1945, for example, French and Algerian historians need to work together in complete freedom to write the shared experience of France and Algeria without the intrusion of controversies surrounding the Algerian War.”

The film represented Algeria at the recent Academy Awards where it was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film. It was the third time a film directed by Bouchareb was nominated in that category, after Dust of Life in 1996 and Days of Glory in 2007.The film was nominated for Best Screenplay at the 16th Lumière Awards, voted by foreign journalists who work in Paris. It had its world premiere on May 21st at the 2010 CANNES Film Festival.

Academy Award Nominee – Best Foreign Language Film
Official Selection – CANNES Film Festival 2010
Official Selection – Toronto Film Festival 2010
Official Selection – Tribeca Film Festival 2010

Opens in Toronto (Cumberland) and Montreal (Cinema du Parc) on March 25 released by Video Services Corp.

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