Director: mourad hamla
Nationality: Algeria
Director Bio: Born in 1985, director Mourad Hamla has been evolving for years in a daring quest, that of mysteries of the human experience. He explores the depths of the human condition, weaving stories through the complex threads of reality. Each one of his scenarios are an invitation to explore the nuances human relationships grasping the eternal passion/ tension that resides in each of us. His art goes far beyond simple visual representation. Mourad Hamla, through his creation, brings together an invaluable visual heritage, reflecting the mirror of our collective, complex and rich humanity. His journey is marked by projects exploring cultural heritage and ancestral traditions. His documentary film “Les Tie-weavers of Ath Hicham”, which highlights the art of carpet weaving and the importance of preserving this heritage, received the prize for best documentary at the Africlap Festival in Toulouse. His eight documentary films, which also deal with intangible cultural heritage and material, exploring the links between heritage, writing, song and dance, produced on behalf of the Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions (ATP) located at the Casbah of Algiers, are fascinating and demonstrate high quality work. His artistic works are selected in various festivals, such as “Fever Hijacked” at the Festival des Cultural Identities in Ouagadougou, and at the Clermont-Ferrand International Digital Arts Festival “ VIDEOFORMS.” In 2021, his conceptual short film “Fièvre Détourné” was presented at the Festival des Cultural Identities (Festic). In 2022, “My Mother’s Voice / La Voix de Ma Mère”, was voted best short documentary film in Jordan and was selected at the Clapperboard Golden Festival in Brazil, as well as at the 10th edition of the Independent Video Film Art Club Pavlos Paraschakis in Greece. In 2024, his short film “The Fire Equinox” is a finalist at the Slovenian International Sports Film Festival among 630 films in competition. In 2023, his animated film “Whispers of the Heart” was selected for the 16th edition of the Annual Short Film Festival in Hartford, USA, as well as at the KixtaFest Film Festival in Mexico. His creations are narrative tales, fragments of life captured in a burst of light, expressing the silent howl of emotions, giving form to the thoughts that swirl in the mind, and immortalizing the indelible traces of the journeys through the time. Every image he captures is imbued with the very essence of existence, transcending linguistic boundaries to touch the souls of the spectators.
