After 62 years of living together, Aïcha and Mabrouk, Lina’s grandparents, have decided to separate. Together, they came from Algeria to Thiers, a small medieval town in the middle of France, over 60 years ago. Side by side, they have experienced this chaotic immigrant life. For Lina, their separation is an opportunity to question their long journey of exile and their silence.
Lina Soualem is a French/ Palestinian/ Algerian filmmaker and actress, born and based in Paris. After studying History and Political Science at La Sorbonne University, she started working in journalism and as a programmer in film festivals, looking to combine her interests in cinema and the study of contemporary Arab societies. Lina worked as a programmer for the International Human Rights Film Festival in Buenos Aires and the Palest’In & Out Festival in Paris, among others. In 2019, Lina’s debut feature documentary Their Algeria, produced by AGAT Films & Cie received the Best Docinprogress award at the Doc Corner in Cannes Festival. Their Algeria was selected to premiere in Visions du Réel International Film Festival 2020. These past years, Lina acted in three feature films directed by Hafsia Herzi, Hiam Abbass and Rayhana. She is currently developing her second feature documentary and works as an author and assistant director on fictions, documentaries and TV series.