This film, built on testimonies and rumors, examines Algeria’s energy landscape from colonialism to Chinese extractivism, highlighting the complexities of truth. Since 2006, thousands of Chinese workers have arrived to build new cities, but construction companies’ neglect of the deceased has fueled rumors of missing bodies, challenging collective memory. Awarded with the Jury Prize for Best Short Film at Visions du Réel, it blends archives of French nuclear tests, viral footage of an artificial sun and Tuareg poetry, questioning how to remember those rendered invisible in a capitalist utopia.
Marcel Mrejen (FR/DZ), born in 1994 in Paris, is a visual artist and filmmaker exploring technology's role in living and economic systems. His work spans installations, film, sound, and machine learning. A graduate of Gerrit Rietveld Academie, he was a resident at Le Fresnoy - Studio national des arts contemporains. His work has been exhibited in notable institutions like the Stedelijk Museum. His debut film, Memories of an Unborn Sun, won the Jury Prize at Visions du Réel in 2024.
Available for online screening from 9 December
