Écran Colonial (Colonial Screen) is a documentary by Salim Aggar that sheds light on a little-known aspect of the visual history of French colonization in Algeria: propaganda through imagery. The result of three years of archival research, the film explores the operations of the Service cinématographique des armées (SCA-Military Cinematographic Service) and the Service de diffusion cinématographique (SDC-Cinematographic Distribution Service) during the period spanning from the 1940s until independence in 1962.

Salim Aggar reveals how the colonial authorities used "cinema trucks" to host open-air film screenings in the heart of Algerian villages. The objective was to manipulate public opinion, glorify the empire, and distort social and political realities-particularly following the outbreak of the War of National Liberation. Ultimately, however, this attempt at mass indoctrination proved a failure, as the Algerians later turned this media weapon to their own advantage, using it to assert their own narrative of liberation.

Featuring contributions from filmmakers and specialists in colonial and Algerian cinema: Sébastien Denis, Vincent Bouchard, Nabil Djédouani, Larbi Benchiha, Saïd Ould Khelifa, and Ahmed Bedjaoui.

https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/1817186-ecran-colonial