Poster for Rachid Hami’s Algerian-French feature FOR MY COUNTRY drops in tandem with Netflix release

release date July 17 2023

Rachid Hami’s critically acclaimed drama feature and nominee for Best Film at Venice Horizons FOR MY COUNTRY released its latest Netflix poster on Sunday, July 16th in tandem with its official premiere on the streaming giant.

The poster depicts the brothers Ismael and Aissa — the film’s protagonists — in focus amidst a blurred-out crowd, standing in the shadow of a uniformed figure, highlighting their individual struggles with the military. The poster also has this red hue throughout, symbolizing Ismael’s rage and frustration with his family’s circumstances.

FOR MY COUNTRY tells the story of an Algerian-born young officer named Aissa who tragically dies during a freshman initiation ritual at the elite French military institution of Saint-Cyr.

Controversy then arises over Aissa's funeral plans as his death rips through his family and the army refuses to take responsibility. It falls to Ismael — the older and more rebellious brother — to keep the family together while they seek justice for Aissa.

FOR MY COUNTRY kicked off its journey by premiering worldwide at the Venice International Film Festival, where it was nominated for Best Film in Venice Horizons. The film was also nominated for a Bronze Horse Award for Best Film at the Stockholm International Film Festival and received the Audience Award at the Rendez-Vous with French Cinema Film Festival. Moreover, Karim Leklou — the film’s lead actor — went on to receive the Best Actor Award at the Sarlat International Cinema Festival.

Aside from that, the film has been to several other notable film festivals around the globe — including the Golden Horse, Seville, Cairo, and India international film festivals — and received stellar reviews from Deadline, Screen Daily, and Taxi Drivers Italy, with Nina Rothe from MIME saying that “the genius of the film lies in the fact that the story is told in a way that allows the viewer to fill in the silences.”

Directed by Rachid Hami and co-written alongside Ollivier Pourriol, the film stars Hugo Becker, Karim Leklou, Alicia Hava, Lubna Azabal, Shaïn Boumedine, Slimane Dazi, Samir Guesmi, Laurent Lafitte, Vivian Sung, Souhade Temimi, and Elyes Aguis.

The film was also produced by Nicolas Mauvernay and Amy Ma, executive produced by Tien-Tsung Ma, managed by Guillaume Parent, edited by Joëlle Hache, lensed by Jérôme Almeras, and scored by Yann Mégard.

In terms of the larger companies at play, the film was produced by Mizar Films and is distributed by MAD Solutions in the Arab world, Memento Distribution in France, and mk2 Films throughout the rest of the world.

Born in 1985, Rachid Hami is a French writer and actor who fled the Algerian civil war with his mother and brothers in search of a better future in France.

He began his career with the film GAMES OF LOVE AND CHANCE by Abdellatif Kechiche and then proceeded to direct and write several films, including three award-winning feature films.

Following his 2005 short film NO EFFECT WITHOUT CAUSE, Hami made the medium-length film CHOOSING LOVE in 2007. And in 2017, he made his first feature film, ORCHESTRA CLASS (LA MÉLODIE), which premiered in Venice.