Netherlands / Jan 31, 2026 / International Film Festival Rotterdam
Overall average
5.0/10
Plot
Haroun is an old bachelor who has lived in Oran for several years. A retired civil servant, he leads a reclusive life until the day he meets Kamel in a bar—a journalist to whom he tells an incredible story dating back to 1942. He claims to be the brother of ‘the Arab’ killed in a story told in one of the most famous novels of the 20th century, ‘The Stranger’ by Albert Camus. An Arab with an erased name: Moussa. Through anger, assertions, details, and confidences, Haroun finally convinces the journalist to listen to his story. His confession is a cry of freedom and distress—but above all, a cry of revolt: against an abusive mother, against a country that failed to achieve true independence, against a book, and against a famous French writer.
Main cast
Genres
Technical details
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Original title | l'Arabe |
| Original language | العربية (AR) |
| Spoken languages | العربية, Español, Français |
| Production countries | Algeria, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia |
| Status | Released |
| Production companies | Hikayet Films, Need Productions, Tita Productions, CADC, Imagofilm Lugano, RSI, SRG SSR, Red Sea Film Festival Foundation |
| Release date | 31 gennaio 2026 |
| Executive producer | Hachemi Zertal |
| Production | Fred Premel, Hachemi Zertal, Malek Bensmaïl, Villi Hermann, Michela Pini, Anne-Laure Guégan, Géraldine Sprimont |
| Writer | Malek Bensmaïl, Jacques Fieschi, Kamel Daoud |
| Casting | François Guignard |
| Editing | Matthieu Bretaud, Julia Grégory |
| Cinematography | Gilles Porte, Lionel Jan Kerguistel |
| Assistant directors | Olivier Berlaud, Malek Bensmaïl |
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| Camera operators | Gilles Porte, Lionel Jan Kerguistel |
| Additional photography | Gilles Porte, Lionel Jan Kerguistel |
| Production design | Saad Ould Bachir, Lamine Mohamed Amrani |
| Art direction | Saad Ould Bachir, Lamine Mohamed Amrani |
| Set decoration | Saad Ould Bachir, Lamine Mohamed Amrani |
| Music | Nicolas Rabaeus, Carlos Ibanez Diaz, Moncef Taleb, Lancelot Hervé-Mignucci, Maxence Ciekawy |
| Sound | Carlos Ibanez Diaz, Moncef Taleb, Lancelot Hervé-Mignucci, Maxence Ciekawy, Nicolas Rabaeus |
| Costume design | Edith Vesperini, Lilia Lakhoua, Hadjira Tafat |
| Makeup | Edith Vesperini, Lilia Lakhoua, Hadjira Tafat |
| Hairstyling | Edith Vesperini, Lilia Lakhoua, Hadjira Tafat |
Release dates
Premiere
Russia / Apr 17, 2026 / Moscow International Film Festival
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