Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina, the first Arab and African director to win Cannes Palme d’Or, dies aged 91

Published on 29/05/2025 - 10:41 GMT+2

Algerian head Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina, whose 1975 play Chronique des Années de Braise (Chronicles of nan Years of Fire) won Cannes’ Palme d’Or successful 1975, has died aged 91.  

He was nan oldest surviving recipient of nan Palme d’Or and Chronicles of nan Years of Fire remains Africa’s only Palme d’Or to this day. 

Lakhdar-Hamina’s family said nan shaper and head died astatine his location successful nan Algerian superior of Algers connected 23 May. Coincidently, nan Cannes Film Festival screened Chronicles of nan Years of Fire in its Cannes Classics programme that day, successful ceremony of nan 50th day of nan film’s Palme d’Or.

Set betwixt 1939 and 1954, nan movie retells nan Algerian War of Independence done nan eyes of a peasant farmer, depicting nan harshness of French assemblage rule.

Lakhdar-Hamina competed for nan Palme d’Or 4 times, pinch The Winds of nan Aures, which won nan champion first movie prize successful 1967, arsenic good as Sandstorm (1982) and Last Image (1986). 

After a 30-year break, Lakhdar-Hamina directed Twilight of Shadows, which was Algeria’s submission to nan Best Foreign Language Film class of nan 88th Academy Awards successful 2016.

Born connected 26 February 1934 successful M’Sila successful nan Aurès region of north-east Algeria, Hamina studied successful nan confederate French municipality of Antibes.

During nan Algerian war, his begetter was tortured and killed by nan French army. He was called up to nan French service successful 1958 but deserted to subordinate nan Algerian guidance successful Tunis, wherever he did an internship pinch Tunisian news. He ran Algeria’s news service, nan l’Office des Actualités Algériennes (OAA) from soon aft nan gyration to 1974. He was besides caput of nan Algerian National Office for Commerce and nan Film Industry betwixt 1981 and 1984. 

French supplier Les Acacias Distribution will theatrically re-release Chronicles of nan Years of Fire in cinemas successful France connected 6 August.