Safinez Bousbia will attend the screening.
Memory and music intermingle in El Gusto, the charming and revealing tale of Chaâbi, a revered form of Algerian popular music which flourished in the mid-20th century only to enigmatically vanish as the decades wore on.
Algerian-Irish documentary maker Safinez Bousbia crafts a heart-warming and emotional tribute to her native Algerian musical traditions as she tells this wonderful story about the re-weaving of history and the re-emergence of a lost musical craft. It was in 2003 that Bousbia encountered an 83-year-old man who related to her his own remarkable tale as a Chaâbi musician, opening up a world where this was not merely another genre but an invite to an atmosphere where Arabs and Jews met as one, trading stories and songs, living and playing together in pitch-perfect harmony. Upon hearing the story, Bousbia tracked down similar original Chaâbi players, scattered throughout France and Algeria, eventually assembling a 42-piece band called ‘El Gusto’ (Spanish for ‘the thrill’). This band soon became an international phenomenon, playing Marseille, Paris and the London Barbican, breathing new air, new life and new hope into both the music and the lives of the musicians. A truly wondrous tale and a must-see for music buffs. - Colm McAuliffe, Jameson Dublin International Film Festival
