The Road Behind, The Road Ahead - Documentary of Hacene Zennia - A Berber Story

The Road Behind¸ The Road Ahead is about a return to the roots¸ my Berber¸ Amazigh roots in Algeria¸ North Africa. Over the years¸ I have witnessed the assimilation of my culture away from the French colonial period toward Arabization¸ and now toward the west with the advent of the internet and wireless communications. This documentary aims to capture traditional Berber culture before the last pure generation - the generation of my mother¸ who never went to school¸ speaks only Berber¸ and live in a traditional Berber culture - vanishes. I chose to go back to my native village to produce the film despite the distance and the difficulties. The Berber culture survived for five thousand years through poetry¸ songs¸ dances¸ and traditions. Video is a new medium used to preserve and document the Berber culture. This is a contribution to its preservation and its promotion.I chose to go back to my native village to produce the film despite the distance and the difficulties. The Berber culture survived for five thousand years through poetry¸ songs¸ dances¸ and traditions. Video is a new medium used to preserve and document the Berber culture. This is a contribution to its preservation and its promotion.

From the DVD menu you can choose to view the film in its native Berber language¸ in French or in English.

It also contains extra footage from the region where it was filmed.

Origins: Kabylie¸ Algeria
Languages: Kabyle¸ English and French
Producer: Hacène Zennia