À mon âge je me cache encore pour fumer (I Still Hide to Smoke) Film

Synopsis

Set in 1995 during the Algerian Civil war, Fatima (Palestinian superstar Hiam Abbas) runs a hammam, a space where women go to wash, chat and socialise. The film interweaves the narratives of the different woman who use the hammam. Through the voices and stories of these women, we see a complex portrait of womanhood in 90s Algeria. In a radical act of making the private space public, director Rayhana Obermeyer shows the interior lives of women and frames the hammam as a place of solace and safety. A brave and bold directorial debut, I Still Hide to Smoke centres the female gaze, showing a variety of female relationships and viewpoints.