The Middle East Studies Center is hosting a screening of "The Last Queen" followed by a Q&A with special guests Ahmed Bedjaoui, Pofessor of Audiovisual Communication and Cinema at Algiers 3 University and Nabil Boudraa, Professor of French and Francophone Studies at Oregon State University. This event will take place at 5th Avenue Cinema, Oregon's only student-run cinema on the campus of PSU.
"The Last Queen" is Algeria's first-ever full-scale costume drama. Released last year, this film is based on years of research on the world of 16th century Algeria. Watch the Trailer!
About the film: Algeria, 1516. The pirate Aroudj Barbarossa frees Algiers from the tyranny of the Spanish and seizes power over the kingdom. Rumor has it he murdered King Salim Toumi despite their alliance. Against all odds, one woman will stand up to him: Queen Zaphira. Between history and legend, this woman’s journey tells of a struggle, of personal and political turmoil endured for the sake of Algiers.
In-person screening begins at 5:00pm, with Q&A to follow at 7:30pm. Free popcorn for guests!
Ahmed Bedjaoui graduated from the Paris Institute of Cinematographic Studies and holds a Ph.D. in American studies. He is a Professor of Audiovisual Communication and Cinema at Algiers University 3. He is the artistic manager of Algiers International Film Festival. His publications include Images et visages (2012, Cinéma et guerre de libération, des batailles d’images (2014), Littérature et cinémas arabes (2016), La Guerre d’Algérie dans le cinéma mondial (2016), Le cinéma à son âge d’or ((all published by Chihab Algiers) and Cinema and the Algerian War of Independence: Culture, Politics and Society (2020, Palgrave Macmillan NY.). He has also published two articles for NHK review. He was curator for many film weeks and exhibitions (among them The Saga of the Algerian cinematheque and The Algerian films on Posters). In 2015, Bedjaoui received the UNESCO Féderico Fellini Medal for his contribution to world film culture. Bedjaoui has also been appointed President of the Feature Films Jury of the fiftieth anniversary of the The Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougouu (Burkina Faso, 2019).
Nabil Boudraa is Professor of French and Francophone Studies at Oregon State University. He holds a PhD from Louisiana State University, a Research Fellowship at Harvard University, an MA from Queens College, another MA from l’Université de Caen in France, and a BA from Algiers University. Nabil has authored and edited several publications, including Algeria on Screen: Society, Culture and Politics in the Films of Merzak Allouache (2020), Women and Resistance in the Maghreb: Remembering Kahina 2021), Francophone Cultures Through Film (2013), Hommage à Kateb Yacine (2006) and North African Mosaic: A Cultural Re-appraisal of Ethnic and Religious Minorities (2007). He has published articles and translations in several journals such as The International Journal of Francophone Studies, The Journal of North African Studies, and The African Studies Review. Dr. Boudraa was a guest on several shows, namely BBC’s The Forum and NPR’s Morning Edition. Lastly, Nabil Boudraa has received several grants and awards, including the Fulbright Scholar Award (2011) and four National Endowment for the Humanities grants (2007, 2014, 2015, and 2017).
This event is made possible by a grant from the American Institute for Maghrib Studies (AIMS). To learn more about what they do, check out their website.