Daniel Ali, a rebellious schoolteacher in colonial Algeria (2012)
Documentary · History
Overview
In 1954, Daniel Vérin, a young schoolteacher of Algerian descent, made a radical decision: he turned his back on colonial France and joined the Algerian insurgents. He enlisted in the FLN, then the ALN, and became "Ali," a soldier in the struggle for independence. At the end of the war in 1962, he became an Algerian citizen. But the long-awaited independence did not bring Ali the taste of victory. On a scholarship, he went to study in the United States. Upon his return, the Algerian administration forbade him from entering his homeland. Rejected by the country he had defended, he obtained American citizenship in 1969. Condemned by France for his activism and ignored by Algeria for more than forty years, Ali was not officially recognized as a mujahid, a fighter of the Revolution, until 2004.
Cast
- Daniel Ali Vérin as Self
- Patty Vérin as Self
- Hélène Vérin as Self
- Georges Vérin as Self
- Khadidja Mahdi as Self
- Malika Rahal as Self
- Bénédicte Richard as Narrator
- Zohra Djazouli as Self
- Abdallah Mihoubi as Self
- Djilali Benali as Self