Mohamed Chouikh

Mohamed Chouikh (Arabic: محمد الشويخ), born September 3, 1943, in Mostaganem, Algeria, is an Algerian actor, screenwriter, and director.

He was eleven years old in 1954 when the Algerian War began. Following the declaration of independence in 1962, he joined a theater troupe that would later become the Algerian National Theater. From then on, he actively worked with other artists to develop theater and cinema in Algeria. In 1965, Mohamed Chouikh starred in one of the first major Algerian films, "L'aube des damnés" (The Dawn of the Damned) by René Vautier and Ahmed Rachedi.

In 1966, he played the role of Lakhdar (the son) in "Le vent des Aurès" (The Wind of the Aurès) by Mohamed Lakhdar Hamina. The film won the Best First Feature award at Cannes. Until 1970, Mohamed Chouikh devoted himself primarily to his acting career in theater and film. It was Michel Drach's film, "Elise ou la Vraie Vie" (Elise or Real Life), based on the novel by Claire Etcherelli, that brought him to the attention of French audiences. 1972 marked a turning point. Alongside his acting career, Chouikh began writing and participated in various film shoots. He directed his first films for Algerian television: "L’embouchure" (The Mouth) (1972) and "Les paumés" (The Lost Ones) (1974). In 1982, he was Lakhdar Hamina's assistant director on "Vent de Sable" (Sand Wind) (an official selection at Cannes).