Middle Eastern and North African cinema
The 1960s were a decade of change for many MENA countries. This change is connected to liberation, especially in North Africa, and it, can be seen through the expansion of national film industries. Algeria gained its independence in 1962 after 8 years of war. At the time that liberation was granted, Algeria had 424 cinemas, number much greater than other countries of the Maghreb. Non-print sources of information were very important in Algeria when forming a homogenous national identity, especially during independence, because of the very high illiteracy rates. The use of cinema, or radio, plaid such a significant role in the independence war that the French declared those mediums colonial propaganda. By 1964, Algeria had managed to nationalize its film industry with a very important figure of Algerian cinema Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina. Algeria is home to a native group, Amazigh which speaks Berber. This group was always the most suppressed under French colonization, but it continued being suppressed even under an Algerian government. This can be seen in productions of ONCIC, an Algerian government-owned production company, where Berber languages were strictly forbidden.