After having studied journalism in Algiers, Mounia Meddour signed up for film studies at La Fémis and followed up with a course in production at the Centre Européen de Formation à la Production de Films. She then began directing documentaries such as Particules élémentaires and Cinéma algérien, un nouveau souffle. Her first fiction feature, Papicha was selected in Cannes in 2019 and earned her the César for the Best First Feature Film. Her upcoming feature Houria is currently in development.