An Algerian director, writer, actor and producer, born in M'Sila on February 26, 1934. Despite his love for cinema, he studied agriculture and law in France. He left France for Tunisia during the outbreak of the Algerian revolution, as he joined the resistance forces there. His career in film began when the Algerian National Liberation Front sent him to Prague to study cinema. His directorial debut was The Winds of the Aures (1966). Among his most notable films: Chronicle of the Years of Fire (1975), which won the Palme d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival.