Papicha - Women-Only Film at the Share Centre

Venue: The Share Centre | 88 Stow Hill, Newport, NP20 4DW
Date: 31/07/2026
Doors: 18:00 Close: 22:00
Entry: Free

Set in Algiers during the Algerian Civil War of the 1990s, Papicha follows Nedjma, an 18-year-old university student who dreams of becoming a fashion designer.

Nedjima and her friends enjoy music, dancing and creating their own clothes, but their everyday freedoms are increasingly threatened as violent fundamentalist groups attempt to control how women dress, study and move through public life.

Refusing to give up her ambitions, Nedjma begins organising a fashion show using the haik, a traditional Algerian garment. What starts as a creative project gradually becomes an act of resistance and a declaration of women's freedom.

Inspired by writer-director Mounia Meddour's own experience as a student in Algeria during the 1990s, Papicha places young women's friendships, dreams and everyday lives at the centre of a period more often represented only through conflict and politics.

The film balances moments of energy, humour, music and friendship with the realities of intimidation, grief and political violence. It asks what creativity can mean when women's clothes, bodies and choices are being controlled, and how friendship and solidarity can become forms of resistance.

Papicha was Mounia Meddour's first feature film and was presented in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. It later won the César Award for Best First Feature, while Lyna Khoudri received the César for Most Promising Actress for her performance as Nedjma. 

This women-only screening creates a dedicated and welcoming space for women to watch the film together. The screening will be followed by a facilitated conversation, offering an opportunity to reflect on the film's characters, historical setting and themes.

PAPICHA

Directed by Mounia Meddour
Algeria / France, 2019 | 108 minutes | Certificate 15
French and Arabic with English subtitles

Content warning: Contains scenes of political and gender-based violence, bereavement, intimidation, threat, sexual harassment and restrictions laced on women's lives and choices.

Official UK trailer:

Watch an interview with the director:

Read about the film and director at the Festival de Cannes