After studying at La Fémis, Yanis Koussim directed several short films, including Khouya (which won awards at Locarno and Amiens, and was in the official selection at Clermont-Ferrand) and Khti. He then participated in the documentary Un été à Alger : the Night, which premiered at the Palais de Tokyo, and co-wrote the screenplays for R. Obermayer’s I Still Hide to Smoke, and El Zahia, the upcoming feature film by Adila Bendimerad and Damien Ounouri. He is the founder of Plateau19, a collective of filmmakers who campaign for independent cinema in Algeria.