Khamsa – The Well of Oblivion
| Khamsa – The Well of Oblivion | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Khaled Chiheb |
| Written by | Khaled Chiheb |
| Produced by | Kamal Mouhoune Khaled Boumriche |
| Starring | Dima Tourgane |
| Music by | Tobias Lilja |
Production company | D-clik Production |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 77 minutes |
| Country | Algeria |
| Language | Arabic |
Khamsa – The Well of Oblivion (Arabic: خامسة – بئر النسيان) is a 2022 Algerian animated film directed by Khaled Chiheb, who goes by the alias "Vynom," and produced by D-clik Production. The film is 77 minutes long, in the Arabic language, and represents Algeria's first animated feature film.
The film was selected for competition at major festivals, including the 2022 Annecy International Animation Film Festival and the Ottawa International Animation Festival. In 2023, it won the Kabuku Award at the inaugural Niigata International Animation Film Festival in Japan.
Synopsis
The story follows a young boy named Adi, who wakes up at the bottom of a dark well with complete amnesia. He finds himself lying on sand and walks through a fire-lit gallery until he meets Tidar, a large, benevolent creature. Tidar explains to Adi that his memories are locked behind an immense door that he must open before they are lost forever. Accompanied by Tidar and another companion – a small one-eyed blue flame creature named Khamsa – Adi journeys through strange, surreal landscapes (including buried cities, petrified forests, and marshlands) in search of his past.[1]
Production
In 2016, a team of three Algerian illustrators, Khaled Chiheb (Vynom), Kamel Zakour and Chafik Rouag, created an animated short film titled Khamsa, which was selected for pitching at the Annecy International Animation Film Market (MIFA).[2]
Vynom developed the project further, and eventually expanded it into a feature-length film. The completed feature, Khamsa – The Well of Oblivion, was finished in 2022.[3]
Vynom served as director and screenwriter, with art direction by Kamal Zakour, and production by Kamal Mouhoune and Khaled Boumriche (under D-clik production). Dima Tourgane was the voice acting lead, and music was done by Tobias Lilja.[4]
Vynom stated that the main inspiration for his movie was Mamoru Oshii’s Angel's Egg.[5][6] In addition to this, he mentioned Tsutomu Nihei's Blame!, and video games such as Shadow of the colossus and Bloodborne as other influences.[7]
Release
After completion, Khamsa – The Well of Oblivion was entered into the 2022 festival circuit. It was officially selected for the feature competition at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival (June 2022)[8] and at the Ottawa International Animation Festival (September 2022).[9]
In 2023, Khamsa was invited to the first Niigata International Animation Film Festival (Japan), where it won the Kabuku Award, a prize for films “not constrained by conventional values”.[6][10]
The film was released theatrically in Algeria in August 23, 2024, in Algiers, Oran and Constantine.[11] It has drawn attention in Algeria for being produced to international standards, and is often cited as the first feature-length animation made in the country.[12][13]
References
- ^ "KHAMSA - THE WELL OF OBLIVION". Red Sea Films. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
- ^ "Le court métrage d'animation « Khamsa » sélectionné au festival du film d'animation d'Annecy". dia-algerie.com (in French). June 14, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
- ^ Souha Bahamid (August 25, 2024). "Khamsa, le puits de l'oubli". horizons.dz (in French). Retrieved June 14, 2025.
- ^ "Khamsa - The Well of Oblivion: Full cast & crew". IMDb. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
- ^ Matteo Watzky (May 20, 2023). "What matters in animation is expression – Interview with Mamoru Oshii [Niigata International Animation Film Festival]". fullfrontal.moe. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
- ^ a b NIAFF (March 27, 2023). "第１回NIAFFコンペティション部門受賞結果 - The 1st NIAFF Competition Award Results". Niigata International Animation Film Festival (in English and Japanese). Retrieved June 14, 2025.
- ^ Chawki Amari (September 1, 2024). "Vynom. Scénariste, graphiste, réalisateur : «En animation, il faut travailler avec des marathoniens, pas des sprinters»". El Watan (in French). Retrieved June 14, 2025.
- ^ Vassilis Kroustallis (May 3, 2022). "10+10 Animation Features for Annecy Festival". Zippy Frames. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
- ^ Debbie Diamond Sarto (July 7, 2022). "OIAF Reveals Official Feature Film Competition Selections". Animation World Network. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
- ^ Matt Schley (March 31, 2023). "How Japan's first Niigata International Animation Film Festival was drawn up". Screen International. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
- ^ O. Hind (August 22, 2024). "Un film d'animation algérien au cinéma : une première". L'Expression (in French). Retrieved June 14, 2025.
- ^ Chawki Amari (September 1, 2024). "Didacticiel. Comment faire un long métrage d'animation". El Watan (in French). Retrieved June 14, 2025.
- ^ Nick Vivarelli (Nov 16, 2022). "Algeria's First Animation Feature 'Khamsa – The Well of Oblivion' to Screen in Red Sea Film Festival's New Vision Section". Variety. Retrieved June 14, 2025.