Alliance Francaise of Hyderabad, in association with the Hyderabad Film Club, is screening a French movie, Bled Number, at the Sarathi Studios in Ameerpet, on 13th May. The movie is directed by Ameur R Zaimeche, and has Rabbah Ameur Zaimeche, Meriem Serbah and Abel Jafri in the leading roles.

Bled is a finely observed slice of life, shot in a low-key semi-documentary style. It speaks volumes about the conditions of life in today's Algeria, and should play well in festivals and in the Arabic speaking world. Ameur Zaimeche, as Kamel, plays the male lead in Bled, which takes a cold-eyed look at life on the other side of the water.

Zaimeche's direction is unfussy, favouring a quietly reflective mood with slow fades and several long takes of exteriors in dying light. He is never judgmental, but it's clear where his sympathies lie: in the conflict between tradition and modernity, at least in this corner of the Arab-Islamic world, the latter has a lot of catching up to do.

The entry is free for everybody. Please contact the Alliance Francaise at 2770-0734/2770-0736 or Bh S S Prakash Reddy of the Hyderabad Film Club at 2373-0841/93910-20243 for further details.