Le thé au harem d'Archimède

It is entirely due to Mehdi Charef that in today's French Cinema Beur filmmakers like Abdel Kechiche (La faute à Voltaire) and Malik Chibane (Douce France) are getting instant success and recognition.He is recognized as the trend setter of Beur Cinema for having given a distinctive image to Arab youths by directing "Le thé au harem d'Archimède" in 1985.His film won prestigious Jean Vigo prize in 1985.This film is based on the autobiographical novel written by Mehdi Charef for which Costa Gavras provided financial support as its producer.Le thé au harem d'Archimède talks about the marginal figures of French society for whom there are no opportunities to progress in life,no jobs to provide them with a decent living.These are the people who know that hollow slogans of liberty,equality and fraternity are of absolutely no use to them.It is the light tone of this film which will captivate viewers.Those who know French suburbs from "La Haine" are for a great shock as there is less violence as compared to Mathieu Kassovitz's film.