From dawn till dusk, paced by the calls to prayer, a surprising crowd wanders about on the rooftops of Algiers. Closed spaces, that have become open air mirrors to the contradictions, the violence, the intolerance of the endless conflicts that mar the Algerian society.

The film takes place during one day, where we focus on the destinies of various characters, friends, families, all with their own singularity and their appropriation of these terrasses that dominate the city. Their stories start slowly and show different facets of Algiers today. They all have in commun a tragic event in their lifes and the calls to prayer echoe all along the escalation of their squalid living. Like a perspective on Algeria seen from above contrasting with the lowness the city shows us.

• Producer(s): Jacques Bidou, Marianne Dumoulin
• Screenplay: Merzak Allouache

• Genre(s): Drama
Release date: 30 August 2013


• Production company: JBA Production
• Production date: 2013
• Country of Origin: Algeria, France
• Language: Arabic, French
• Duration: 92 min