DOI: https://doi.org/10.36719/2706-6185/55/28-45
Chafika Saadi
University of Batna 1, Algeria
PhD in Information and Communication Sciences
https://orcid.org/0009-0009-2507-8721
chafika.saadi@univ-batna.dz
Loyalty and Betrayal to the Homeland in Algerian Cinematic Narratives: in the Fiction Film Héliopolis by Director Djaffar Gacem
(Semiotic Study)
Abstract
Algerian historical filmmakers have sought to reconstruct the pivotal events of the national movement, whether through documentary films that rely on testimonies and archival material, or through fictional works aimed at reinforcing national identity among younger generations. This study seeks to uncover the narrative duality of “loyalty and betrayal” through a semiological analysis based on Roland Barthes’ approach, applied to the historical feature film Héliopolis (2020) by Algerian director “Djaffar Gacem”. In this cinematic work, Gacem attempts—through filmic scenes and character portrayals—to depict the events leading up to the massacres of May 8, 1945, in the province of Guelma, highlighting those who betrayed their homeland by colluding with the French colonizer, as well as those who chose rebellion and refused the conditions imposed upon them by colonial authority.
Keywords: Algerian cinema, loyalty, betrayal, Roland Barthes’ approach