
Raï Story is a musical journey in search of the Raï legend, Cheikha Remitti, in Oran, Algeria, where the Raï musical tradition began. In 1923, the first Raï singers performed behind screens during ceremonies to protect their identity. It was only when the music of singer Cheikha Remitti began to gain popularity among the general public that Raï music was made public, in the 1940s. Cheikha Remitti, who lives between Paris and Oran, is nowhere to be found, the filmmakers then decide to meet producers, musicians, singers like Cheba Dalila or Cheba Djenet, for whom Remitti created a wake. The opportunity, through these unique stories, illustrated with archive images, to retrace the important place of women in this musical tradition and the transformation of Raï music from the 1960s to 2000.

Cheikha Remitti
Self

Cheba Djenet
Self

Cheba Dalila
Self

Chaba Fadela
Self (archive footage)

Chaba Zahouania
Self (archive footage)

Cheb Hasni
Self (archive footage)

Cheb Khaled
Self (archive footage)

Cheb Mami
Self (archive footage)

Raïna Raï
Self (archive footage)

Messaoud Bellemou
Self (archive footage)

Mohamed Lamine
Self (archive footage)
Belkacem Bouteldja
Self

Twïza, L'Aventure Algérienne
Twïza, L'Aventure Algérienne

Le Grand Désert
Le Grand Désert

Salt and Rock
Salt and Rock

Gerboise Bleue
Gerboise Bleue

The Desert Rocker
The Desert Rocker

Selena y Los Dinos: A Family's Legacy
Selena y Los Dinos: A Family's Legacy

Fata Morgana
Fata Morgana

Vitaa, je m’appelle Charlotte
Vitaa, je m’appelle Charlotte

True Chronicles of the Blida Joinville Psychiatric Hospital in the Last Century, when Dr Frantz Fanon Was Head of the Fifth Ward between 1953 and 1956
True Chronicles of the Blida Joinville Psychiatric Hospital in the Last Century, when Dr Frantz Fanon Was Head of the Fifth Ward between 1953 and 1956

Nena, vom Teenie-Idol zur Poplegende
Nena, vom Teenie-Idol zur Poplegende

Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles
Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles

Zinet, Algiers, Happiness
Zinet, Algiers, Happiness