FiSahara: The World’s Only Film Festival in a Refugee Camp

Khoshnaw Rahmani, Jadetimes Staff

K. Rahmani is a Jadetimes news reporter covering culture.

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Image Source: Ariel Sophia Bardi

Where cinema becomes resistance beneath the Saharan sky.

In April–May 2024, FiSahara once again transformed the Sahrawi refugee camps near Tindouf, Algeria, into a vibrant hub of culture, solidarity, and storytelling. As the only film festival in the world hosted inside a refugee camp, FiSahara brings cinematic art, human rights advocacy, and hands-on training directly to a community long displaced by the Western Sahara conflict.

1. Festival at a Glance

• Founded: November 2003 by Sahrawi activists and Spanish civil society

• Location: Wilaya of Dajla, Sahrawi refugee camps, Southwestern Algeria

• Duration: Typically five days of screenings, workshops, and cultural events

• Signature Award: The White Camel, voted by audiences and delivered live to the winning director’s host family

• Core Mission: Entertain and empower Sahrawis through film; amplify their voices on a global stage

2. Evolution & Timeline

Year	Host Wilaya	Milestone
2003	Smara	Inaugural edition organized by Javier Corcuera
2005–06	Ausserd & El Aaiún	Spanish backing grows; alternating camp locations
2007	Dajla	Festival settles permanently in Dajla; celebrity visits rise
2010	Dajla	Twinning with San Sebastián Human Rights Film Festival
2011	Dajla	Launch of Abidin Kaid Saleh Audiovisual School
2013	Dajla	Introduction of dedicated Human Rights film section
2022	Dakhla	Return after pandemic; renewed Algeria–SADR cultural collaboration
2024	Dajla	“200 Meters” wins White Camel; special Palestine spotlight

Every year, FiSahara reinvents its programming, but its essence remains unchanged: a week where cinema, culture, and hope converge in the desert.

3. Programming & Unique Features

1. Open-Air Screenings

   • Films projected on flatbed trucks or canvas screens under starlit dunes

   • Audiences sit on rugs, sharing popcorn and the Sahrawi tea ceremony

2. Cultural Fair & Side Events

   • Camel races, traditional haimas (tents), local music and dance performances

   • Roundtables on self-determination, colonial legacies, and human rights

3. Workshops & Masterclasses

   • Storytelling, camera operation, sound editing, and video advocacy

   • Sessions led by guest filmmakers, activists, and Abidin Kaid Saleh School tutors

4. White Camel Award

   • Audience-chosen top film receives a live white camel—symbol of Sahrawi hospitality

4. Celebrated Documentaries at FiSahara

Over its two-decade history, FiSahara has showcased landmark documentaries that intertwine Sahrawi struggles with universal quests for justice. Below are five films that left indelible marks on audiences and the desert screen:

Year	Film Title	Director(s)	Synopsis & Significance
2012	Sons of the Clouds: The Last Colony	Álvaro Longoria	Oscar-winning actor Javier Bardem investigates Western Sahara’s plight, blending reportage and personal narrative. Screened at the UN and U.S. Congress, it catalyzed international advocacy.
2014	Legna: Habla el Verso Saharaui	Bahia Awah & Juan Robles	A poetic journey through Sahrawi oral traditions, this co-production foregrounds local poets and storytellers, affirming cinematic preservation of endangered cultural expressions.
2015	Granito: How to Nail a Dictator	Pamela Yates	Exposes the U.S. government’s backing of Guatemalan dictator Efraín Ríos Montt, drawing parallels with Western Sahara’s forgotten conflict. Winner of multiple human rights awards across global festivals.
2016	Ladjouad	Brahim Chegaf	Directed by a graduate of the camp’s film school, this meditative portrait follows three elders trekking to a sacred site, exploring memory, exile, and the desert’s spiritual resonance. Awarded White Camel for its lyrical power.
2024	200 Meters	Ameen Nayfeh & Ahmad Al-Bazz	Though set in Palestine, its themes of separation and walls reverberate deeply with Sahrawi audiences. FI Sahara’s guest country section awarded it the White Camel, highlighting shared struggles under occupation.

Each of these films has traveled from Sahara sands to international screens, igniting conversations on cinema’s power to document resistance and foster empathy.

5. Profiles of the Next Generation of Sahrawi Filmmakers

Thanks to the Abidin Kaid Saleh Audiovisual School, established in 2011, a cohort of Sahrawi youth is reshaping desert narratives from behind the camera. Here are three standout alumni:

Brahim Chegaf

• Background: Born in Tindouf camps; journalism graduate turned filmmaker

• Key Work: Ladjouad (2016) – White Camel winner, praised for its contemplative pacing and cultural depth

• Style & Vision: Blends poetic visuals with intimate interviews; seeks to archive Sahrawi oral history on film

Bahia Awah

• Background: Daughter of a poet, raised amid haimas and traditional ceremonies

• Key Work: Legna: Habla el Verso Saharaui (2014) – Co-director who foregrounded Sahrawi verse in a global art-house context

• Style & Vision: Fuses archival footage with new voices; advocates for gender parity in Sahrawi media

Yousra El-Fahal

• Background: Childhood spent in Boujdour camps; photography intern turned documentarian

• Key Work: Echoes of Resistance (2021) – Short doc on women activists under occupation, lauded for its raw emotional honesty

• Style & Vision: Prefers vérité techniques; committed to training more women in cinematography and sound design

These emerging filmmakers are not only telling their own stories—they’re equipping peers with the skills to challenge stereotypes and assert Sahrawi agency on screen.

6. How FiSahara Stands Apart

Compared to mainstream festivals like Cannes, Berlinale, or Carthage, FiSahara’s distinctiveness lies in:

• Its geopolitical context—held within an active refugee camp

• A dual mandate of entertainment and cultural rights education

• Capacity building—long-term investment through a year-round film school

• Live audience ownership—the White Camel fosters communal celebration rather than jury verdicts

No other festival blends artistry, activism, and humanitarian aid so seamlessly on such unforgiving terrain.

7. Global Recognition & Lasting Impact

• High-profile advocates (Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, Manu Chao) have amplified FiSahara in Europe and the U.S.

• Festival alumni screen in Paris, Madrid, and New York, reframing Western Sahara from headline to human story

• The “handbook” Setting Up a Human Rights Film Festival (co-authored by FiSahara) now guides emerging festivals worldwide

By transforming disposable moments of distraction into sustained cultural exchange, FiSahara builds bridges between the refugee camps and the global community.

8. Conclusion & Pathways Forward

FiSahara’s ultimate dream is to disappear—to reappear one day on free Western Sahara soil. Until that moment arrives, it remains an oasis of creativity and resilience, proving that even in exile, cinema can nourish identity, document injustice, and spark solidarity across continents.