Refocus: The Cinema of Rachid Bouchareb, edited by Leslie Kealhofer-Kemp and Michael Gott (to be published by Edinburgh University Press in 2020), is the first book-length study of the internationally recognized director’s work. Bouchareb’s films are remarkably varied in their themes, formal elements, and narrative settings, ranging from Senegal, England, Vietnam, and Algeria, to France, Belgium, Turkey, and the United States. Bouchareb was one of France’s first filmmakers of North African descent and his career as a director and producer now spans over thirty years.

Since his feature-length debut in 1985, Bouchareb’s films have engaged with and reflected on a variety of crucial social, political and historical issues, from the role of colonial troops in the French army during the liberation of Europe to terrorism in contemporary Europe. 

This volume examines Bouchareb’s work from an interdisciplinary perspective, exploring key influences on his output and considering new theoretical approaches to his filmmaking.