He was forced to leave for France once again in the 1990s due to dangerous conditions for working artists[1] In 1996, he directed a film about two cousins navigating racism in Paris, Salut Cousin, which was screened in the Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival, won a Thanit d'or at the Carthage Film Festival, and was submitted to the 69th Academy Awards.[9] After directing a series of films and TV movies, he returned to Algeria in 1999.