Challat of Tunis

Friday 11/07 at St. Anthony Main Theatre 9:30pm | get tickets >>>

Synopsis:
In this mockumentary, a motor-biker slashes the behinds of unsuspecting women strolling the streets of Tunis. This incredible story is lifted from actual headlines of an uninvestigated 2003 rumor about just such a man with a razor blade. Director Kaouther Ben Hania decides to do the job the authorities did not by using a camera to dig into the crime, casting actors to play the crucial roles and entering the frame and narrative herself. Challat of Tunis invites audiences to not believe everything they see, and insists that finding the truth may not be as enlightening as faking it.

2014
90 minutes
Narrative/documentary feature
Directed by: Kaouther Ben Hania
Language: Arabic
Country: Tunisia/France
Website | Trailer

“Though shot in a rough indie-docu style, complete with inelegant focal adjustments and handheld lensing that occasionally jiggles a little too much, it’s obvious Ben Hania and her d.p. Sofian El Fani know exactly what they’re doing and why. Editing, too, is spot-on, cleverly negotiating the right balance of absurdity and emotional weight.” (link)

Festivals and Awards:
-Cannes Film Festival–ACID Program
-Dubai International Film Festival–official selection in Muhr Arab feature competition
-Vacouver International Film Festival
-Busan International Film Festival
-San Sebastian Film Festival

Filmmaker bio (from Dubai Film Institute website):
Kaouther Ben Hania studied cinema in Tunisia and France. Her films include the short “Me, My Sister and The ‘Thing”’ (2006) and the feature documentary Imams Go to School which premiered at International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) 2010. Kaouther is currently directing episodes of the 3D animated series “Borj Elouloum” (tour of science) for the Al Jazeera Children’s Channel and is developing her second feature documentary Zaineb Hates the Snow with CINETELEFILMS.

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