Movies, art, and culture have long served as subtle yet potent instruments of diplomacy. In the case of Algeria and the United States, cinema offers an especially resonant opportunity—not just to tell compelling stories, but to deepen mutual understanding and build meaningful economic ties.

By showcasing Algeria’s rich history, cultural identity, and complex societal narratives, cinema can shift perceptions among American audiences, policymakers, and investors. This soft power approach—sometimes called “film diplomacy”—opens a channel for engagement far beyond the screen, potentially catalyzing cooperation in sectors as diverse as agriculture, energy, defense, and tourism.

At the opening of the National Cinema Conference this January at the Abdelatif Rahal International Conference Center in Algiers, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune expressed hope that the conference would produce “results and recommendations that can restore Algerian cinema to its former glory.”

The goal, he said, is to “revitalize the industry while drawing inspiration from the foundation laid by our cinematic pioneers.”

Commending Algerian cinema’s rich heritage, President Tebboune paid tribute to “all those who contributed to its glory, both national and international friends…It is time to make culture the cornerstone of the progress and new development taking place in Algeria.”

This cinematic revival has already begun to take shape. On April 5, the Minister of Culture and Arts convened with the production team tasked with realizing a major presidential initiative: the creation of a historical film about Emir Abdelkader, the revered 19th-century religious scholar and military leader who resisted French colonial conquest. The minister stressed the need for this film to meet “the highest international standards in a manner befitting the status of the national symbol, Abd al-Qadir al-Jaza’iri, while embodying the aspirations of the Algerian people.”

Beyond history and heroism, Algerian landscapes—sweeping deserts, mountain plateaus, and Mediterranean coastlines—offer natural grandeur rarely seen on global screens. Films rooted in these terrains can inspire American curiosity and boost tourism. The Berber horse, one of the world’s oldest and most culturally significant breeds, offers a vivid symbol of Algeria’s equestrian heritage. At the National Horse Festival in Tiaret, known as the “horse capital of Algeria,” equestrian and cultural displays bring this tradition to life—an ideal backdrop for cinematic exploration.

Gifts of horses have even served diplomatic functions. During a 2021 state visit to deepen economic ties with Italy, President Tebboune presented his Italian counterpart, President Sergio Mattarella, with an Arabian thoroughbred—an emblem of Algeria’s historical pride and a gesture of goodwill. “Our bilateral relations give fresh impetus to dialogue and strategic cooperation,” he remarked.

American filmmakers are increasingly taking note. Professor Greg Carter, an acclaimed film producer from Houston, Texas, has directed over thirty feature films and worked with international clients such as Lexus and Toyota. A creative partner with Oscar-winner Jamie Foxx and a dealmaker with Paramount Pictures, Carter sees Algeria’s untapped potential. “Algeria has great potential to become a premier cinematic destination in North Africa,” he said, “celebrating global and Algerian cinema while positioning Algiers as a key international cultural and economic hub.”

One way to realize that vision is to establish an international film festival in Algiers. A partnership between Algeria’s Ministry of Culture and Arts, the National Higher Institute of Cinema, and major corporations like Sonatrach and Air Algérie, working alongside Hollywood studios and streaming giants such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, could yield a globally respected event.

Even Barry Osborne—the Academy Award-winning producer behind The Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, and The Great Gatsby, with over $3 billion in box office receipts—has expressed interest in an Algerian partnership. “With a mission to foster cultural exchange, support emerging talent and attract international industry leaders,” Osborne’s team has stated, “an ‘Algiers Film Festival’ could soon be in good company with established film festivals in Marrakech, Cannes and Venice.”

Such creative partnerships could also serve Algeria’s strategic economic goals, especially in energy and technology. Films and documentaries like Les hydrocarbures en Algérie: Acquis et enjeux have the potential to attract American investment and innovation, particularly in digital infrastructure, data centers, and artificial intelligence.

President Tebboune has outlined a bold vision: to make Algeria a continental leader in innovation and digital tech. The government recently launched a national data center in Algiers and broke ground on an AI-focused center in Oran. Yet Algeria still lacks a hyperscale data center presence—a gap that cinematic storytelling could help close by sparking international interest.

By visually showcasing Algeria’s energy assets—oil fields, pipelines, refineries—films can bolster both foreign investment and tourism. Increased tourism, in turn, drives job creation and infrastructure development, reinforcing bilateral economic ties.

Cinematic narratives can also explore shared strategic concerns, such as counterterrorism and regional stability, offering a cultural bridge between the two nations’ defense communities. The Algerian defense sector, too, stands to benefit from greater visibility through film—not just in national security, but in terms of soft power, reputation, and international collaboration.

Consider The Battle of Algiers, Gillo Pontecorvo’s seminal 1966 film that won the Golden Lion at Venice and garnered three Academy Award nominations. Long banned in France, it was ironically screened at the Pentagon in 2003 to help U.S. military officials study insurgency tactics before the Iraq invasion. The film remains one of the most powerful examples of cinema as geopolitical education.

Documentary films could also highlight Algeria’s unique diplomatic history with the U.S., such as President John F. Kennedy’s support for Algerian independence or the 1981 “Algiers Accords,” when Algeria brokered the release of 52 American hostages from Iran. At the time, the U.S. expressed its “grateful appreciation” to Algeria—a detail worthy of rediscovery.

“These types of documentaries are a great way for American and Algerian filmmakers to collaborate,” says Carter. “Cinema transcends language and politics while offering shared experiences and historical values between countries.”

A thriving film sector also signals robust creative growth, drawing attention from U.S. media companies, investors, and streaming platforms. Co-productions, licensing deals, and creative joint ventures are more than cultural milestones—they are economic engines.

Algeria’s cinematic tradition, born from its anti-colonial struggle, coupled with America’s global media influence, creates an unusually rich opportunity for bilateral advancement—across tourism, energy, defense, and the arts.

“Our country has set out on a new path of development to achieve developed-nation status,” President Tebboune told attendees at the National Cinema Conference. “With cultural advancement as the jewel in our crown.”

If so, then cinema—visionary, collaborative, and transnational—may well be the bridge that makes that crown shine and, in doing so, rewrites the story of U.S.–Algeria relations.