Background
Djahnine was born in 1968 in Tizi Ouzou.
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Habiba Djahnine
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In the nineties she was one of the prominent feminists in her country. The civil war divided the feminists into supporters of the Algerian army, and on the other hand those who opposed the cruelty of the central power. In the second decennium of the 21st Century she replied on this era that she is not an activist anymore, however she still considers herself a feminist.
Meanwhile she holds a critical stand to the development of the feminist movement in former days, which she tries to catch in her films frequently.
After the civil war many feminists changed their focus to culture. Next to that she published the volume of poetry Outre-Mort (Beyond Death), wrote humoristic articles for French, and Algerian magazines and wrote a number of short stories.
Since 2003 Djahnine is consultant and curator of several international film festivals, like Rencontres Cinématographiques de Béjaïa where fifty to sixty new films are presented annually. lieutenant hosts space for the film industry for debate, networking and the exchange of knowledge.
Next to this festival, she organized other initiatives like Arab Shorts for the German Goethe-Institut.
In Lettre à ma soeur she tries to refute violence to be a solution to social disputes. Her documentaries reveal factual facets of Algeria, its history and the consequences of it on its society. With her own atelier, Béjaïa Doc, she offers film education to young Algerians with attention to all facets of the profession, like film history, production, distribution and film scripting.
All students must complete a film on the life in their own community.
In 2012 she was honored with a Prince Claus Award for her part in reviving Algerian cinema and for "creating sensitive, challenging and insightful documentaries on contemporary realities."".
