Cinema at L'Alliance New York Will Screen Jean-Louis Bertuccelli’s RAMPARTS OF CLAY

Alliance Française will present a special screening of Jean-Louis Bertuccelli’s 1969 film, set in the Tunisian village of Chebika in the early 1960s and inspired by sociologist Jean Duvignaud’s non-fiction work. Screenings will take place on September 22 at 4pm and 7pm.

Filmed in Algeria, the drama follows a young woman caught in the midst of a labor strike between rural salt mine workers and the military forces deployed against them by the owners.

With a focus on quotidian life and minimal dialogue, Bertuccelli—then in his late twenties—crafted a film that captures the internal struggles of a newly independent nation while reflecting on France’s colonial past.

The 85-minute film stars Leila Shenna, Jean-Louis Trintignant, and Kricheche.

The film has been restored and digitized in 4K by Hiventy, with unanimous support from the CNC commission. The restoration was supervised by filmmaker Julie Bertuccelli.