HOURIA

Houria is a gifted dancer with dreams of joining the Algerian National Ballet. To make ends meet, she works as a cleaning lady during the day and bets in clandestine fights overnight. After winning a final, Houria is assaulted by Ali, who is determined to get his money back. When she wakes up in a hospital, the prognosis is grim: she is unable to speak and will certainly never dance again. Refusing to abandon her dream, she throws herself, heart and soul, into her physical recovery. At her rehab center, she meets other women damaged by life. Houria resolves to help them transcend their wounded bodies and stand tall - by teaching them how to dance.

MOUNIA MEDDOUR

Born in Moscow, Mounia Meddour grew up in Algeria and later in France, where she studied journalism and then trained in cinema. After making several documentaries, La Cuisine en héritage (2009) and Algerian Cinema: A New Breath (2011), she created a sensation with her first feature film Papicha (2019), which was presented at the Festival de Cannes as part of Un Certain Regard. Acclaimed by the critic, the film received the César for Best First Feature in 2020.