Zineb Sedira

Zineb Sedira’s film highlights how people collaborate across borders and identities in the struggle for liberation. She made it for the 2022 Venice Biennale when she became the first artist of Algerian heritage to represent France at the international art festival. 2022 marked the 60th anniversary of Algeria’s independence from French occupation. Sedira decided to ‘connect [my story] to a bigger story, which is Algerian cinema of the 1960s and 1970s, with the anti-colonial and anti-capitalist ideas all coming through.’

The 1966 film The Battle of Algiers is an important reference. Following its format, Dreams Have No Titles uses non-professional actors. Sedira’s parents, son and friends feature, alongside the three curators of the French Pavilion at the Biennale. The Battle of Algiers was made by Algerian and Italian filmmakers, and Sedira sees such international collaboration as a source of inspiration.

Dreams Have No Titles questions the idea of national identity. It also affirms the importance of inclusive and decolonised representations of history. Sedira’s voiceover recounts the story of her life, her family and her community in Brixton in South London. This personal history chimes with and contributes to current debates around migration and solidarity. Themes of vulnerability and resilience, intimacy and collective memory emerge. Dance is an expression of emancipation and resistance in the film. Sedira’s voiceover ends: ‘Just keep on dancing, dance to the tempo of life.’