Keira Maameri
- Writer
- Director
- Camera and Electrical Department
Keira Maameri (born c. 1980) is a French film director. She directed documentaries exploring the place of artists from underprivileged backgrounds in the French cultural scene.
Born in Algeria, Keira Maameri's parents immigrated to France when she was one-year-old. The family lives in the working-class banlieue of Longjumeau. Although she qualifies her childhood as "normal", she recognizes that being schooled in a more privileged neighboring city gave her more opportunities. At a young age, she gets interested in cinema and is introduced to hip-hop by her older brother. Hip-hop culture permeates her work.
She directed several documentaries. "A nos absents" ("To our missings") in 2001, a documentary where she explores death and mourning in songs. In "On s'accroche à nos rêves" ("Keep hanging on to our dreams") released in 2005, she questions the place of women in the French hip-hop scene. In 2010, she directs "Don't Panik" a documentary that follows six Muslim rappers from different countries to show the place of faith in their music. In "Nos plumes" ("Street Literature"), released in 2016, she follows novelists and cartoonists from the "Banlieue" (French low-income housing projects) and explores the stereotypes fostered by the French cultural elite towards them.
Born in Algeria, Keira Maameri's parents immigrated to France when she was one-year-old. The family lives in the working-class banlieue of Longjumeau. Although she qualifies her childhood as "normal", she recognizes that being schooled in a more privileged neighboring city gave her more opportunities. At a young age, she gets interested in cinema and is introduced to hip-hop by her older brother. Hip-hop culture permeates her work.
She directed several documentaries. "A nos absents" ("To our missings") in 2001, a documentary where she explores death and mourning in songs. In "On s'accroche à nos rêves" ("Keep hanging on to our dreams") released in 2005, she questions the place of women in the French hip-hop scene. In 2010, she directs "Don't Panik" a documentary that follows six Muslim rappers from different countries to show the place of faith in their music. In "Nos plumes" ("Street Literature"), released in 2016, she follows novelists and cartoonists from the "Banlieue" (French low-income housing projects) and explores the stereotypes fostered by the French cultural elite towards them.