An independent filmmaker whose work addresses the relationship between East and West, North and South, Modernity and Tradition. His documentary productions are committed to Algeria’s social and political issues, and he develops a language of his own to address questions such as identity and belonging. Bensmaïl has created several filmic essays in Super 8 and is a fixture at amateur film festivals. He relocated to Paris in 1988, where he graduated from the École Supérieur d'Etudes Cinématographiques. After that, he completed an internship at the Lenfilm studios in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Over a dozen of his films are getting airplay in France and on Broadcast International TV. Highlights include Boudiaf, uma esperança assassinada (1999) and Territoire (1996), the winner of the Loupbar prize for Best Documentary at the Montreal Festival in Canada, 1996; and of the Television Prize in Avanca, Portugal, 1998. He often enters his Super 8 filmic essays into amateur film festivals. Lives and works in Paris.