He may be a filmmaker extraordinaire, but French independent director Vincent Moon is no stranger to music, as he’s known for creating band-focused documentaries. The list of his collaborators includes the likes of The National, R.E.M. and also Arcade Fire, with whom he had a much-publicized falling out.
These days, though, Moon chose to travel outside France to meet and film lesser-known local musicians from around the world. One example is Imarhan, the South Algerian band that has become the subject of his upcoming documentary, The Children of Tam.
“Tam” in the title is a short for Tamanrasset, a city in Algeria and home to the members of the band. In January this year, Moon spent two weeks following the band around as they were rehearsing, writing, conversing and producing their forthcoming second album, Temet. Equipped with just one camera, Moon also filmed the band at the neighboring mountain ranges, specifically Assekrem (which translates to “World’s end”), a high plateau in the Hoggar Mountains of southern Algeria.
The 60-minute The Children of Tam will premiere at the Clermond Film Festival in February 2018, just in time for the release of Temet on the 23rd of the same month. Meaning “connections” in Tamashek, Temet is Imarhan’s call for unity, a reminder for people that we are all connected.
The band has recently shared a first excerpt of the movie—and the album—with the live version of their new song, Tamudre. Watch the video below:
