True Chronicle of the Blida Joinville Psychiatric Hospital

Set in a psychiatric hospital in 1950s Algeria, this dramatized portrait of Frantz Fanon explores how his early medical practice intersected with the broader struggle for liberation. Through staged scenes and archival elements, the film captures a pivotal moment when Fanon’s therapeutic work began to reflect his evolving anti-colonial views.

True Chronicle of the Blida Joinville Psychiatric Hospital in the Last Century, when Dr Frantz Fanon Was Head of the Fifth Ward between 1953 and 1956 screens Saturday, May 31 at the Koubek Center, as part of the 2025 Third Horizon Film Festival. Presented in Arabic and French with English subtitles, the film depicts Fanon’s efforts to challenge the racist foundations of colonial psychiatry while experimenting with alternative models of care.

A Q&A with Algerian filmmaker Abdenour Zahzah will follow the screening. Known for his prior work on Fanon and North African history, Zahzah directed this 2024 feature-length fiction film after gaining acclaim for his short film Garagouz and several documentaries. This screening is part of the festival’s ongoing exploration of memory, resistance and postcolonial identity.