The role of colonialism in shaping the identity of maghreb cinema

Maghreb cinema has always had its mark on the history of world cinema. From the heart of French colonialism, it emerged in the decolonization process and movements for oppositional cinema which started in the 1960s. This study scrutinizes the reproduction of colonial period heritages and raises resistance styles in a reasoned way in films of Maghreb filmmakers. Maghreb Cinema like other African cinemas is basically community-based. The factors that affect social life such as colonial pass, immigration phenomenon, underdevelopment, struggles for independence, dictators, and social oppression have modified the way of Maghreb cinema. This study chronologically discusses the films of significant directors from Maghreb cinema, which have various oppositions against colonial policies of Western countries and especially France. The study concludes that there is an important cultural, political and historical relation between colonial and postcolonial period and the role that colonialism played regarding the emergence of Maghreb cinema.