Bendouda Highlights State’s Strategy to Democratize Creativity Through Development of Southern Cinematic Cities

Bendouda Highlights the State’s Strategy to Democratize Creativity Through the Development of Southern Cinematic Cities

✍️ BY: Dr. Hana Saada

Algiers – November 2025 – From the heart of Timimoun, Minister of Culture and Arts Malika Bendouda reaffirmed on Thursday that the creation of cinematic cities in southern Algeria reflects the State’s clear and deliberate policy to democratize artistic creation, decentralize cultural activity, and expand access to the arts for all Algerians. Her declaration came during the commissioning of the newly rehabilitated Tinerkouk Cinematic Center, now fully managed by the Algerian Cinema Center and positioned as a ready-made platform for film production.

According to Bendouda, this strategic move propels Timimoun to the forefront of Algeria’s cinematic landscape, transforming it into a distinguished wilaya of the seventh art. The historic launch coincides with the opening of the region’s first International Short Film Festival, scheduled for Thursday evening, marking a cultural milestone for the Saharan province.

The festival’s guests will have the opportunity to explore the center’s infrastructures and the country’s broader cinematographic production capacities. Remarkably, the center’s first production will spotlight a historic battle witnessed in the region—an homage to the site’s former status as a historic landmark and a silent witness to the resistance of local moudjahidine against French colonial forces.

For Bendouda, the South stands as a natural gateway to both national and international film production. Its vast and unique landscapes form the backbone of a broader national vision: the construction of cinematic cities as an economic and cultural strategy that lays the foundation for a genuine, sustainable cinematic industry. Such a strategy aims to establish a solid production ecosystem while opening promising avenues for an innovation-driven creative economy rooted in the Sahara.

The minister also highlighted that the Ministry’s support for Timimoun’s inaugural international short film festival—bringing together filmmakers from 31 countries—constitutes tangible encouragement for emerging artists, young producers, and upcoming directors. This aligns seamlessly with the national political program, which places youth at the core of the State’s cultural and developmental project. Cinema, Bendouda emphasized, can serve as a unifying national language and a powerful driver of human development.

During her visit, Bendouda inaugurated the new headquarters of the Timimoun Directorate of Culture, a facility expected to enhance working conditions for cultural professionals and elevate the quality of public service across the wilaya. She also inspected the project of the new cultural center of Timimoun before officially handing over the local cinema hall to the Directorate of Culture and Arts. The hall will host the screenings of the works selected for the first International Short Film Festival (November 13–18), whose opening ceremony the minister is set to preside over this evening.