The Alley of the Italians

The ‘Alley of the Italians’ is a district of the Algerian city of Annaba, whose residents are the poor and marginalized. Among them is Jalal the journalist. Jalal challenges the mayor who is determined to destroy the district, along with its history. There is also Jalal’s cat, who watches everything that goes on around him, and Najat, who dresses like a man, is known by a man’s name – Naji – and lives and dies in the street. Noonu is a musician who sells himself to the security services as an informant, and Rasheed is a dervish whose identity is unclear. Is he really just a dervish or – as the security forces say – an evangelist for a dangerous religious organization? All these characters desperately fight to preserve their humanity, even though some of them work to harm those they care for. In contrast, the government, the town council and the security forces fail to see the people living in the alley of the Italians. They think only about the land which will bring them power and wealth.