The Algerian War was fought between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN) from 1954 to 1962 with Algeria ultimately winning independence.
The war was characterized by guerrilla warfare and the use of torture. The conflict also became a civil war between the different communities — mainly in Algeria, with repercussions in metropolitan France.
The Battle of Algiers was a 1966 film based on events during the Algerian War concentrating mainly on the years 1954-1957 when guerrilla fighters of the FLN fought French paratroopers who were attempting to regain territory in the Casbah. Although critically acclaimed, the film was not screened for five years in France.
Source: Wikipedia