A committed cinema
If the beginnings of Tunisian cinema date from 1908 with the inauguration of a first screening room, the first Tunisian work, Zohra, arrives only in 1922 and is signed Samama Chickly. Then came Omar Khlifi and the young directors involved in the social and colonial struggle, such as Abdellatif Ben Ammar with Une si simple histoire (1970), Sejnane (1974), Aziza (1980) and Naceur Ktari, Brahim Babai and Mahamoud Ben Mahmoud. This was followed by complex films, analyzing social problems related to the fundamental structures of the country, such as the films of Nouri Bouzid which shook the conscience : The Man of Ashes (1986) and The Golden Clogs (1988). In 1990, Le Halfaouine, directed by Férid Boughdir, represented the first international success. Women directors occupy an important place in Tunisia as in all Arab cinema. Moufida Tlatli(La Saison des Hommes, Les Silences du palais, La Saison des Djerbiennes) and Nadia el Fani(Tanitez-moi) head the list. The early 2000s is marked by the rise of the actress Latifa Arfaoui (seen in Silence ... on tourne) but also by that of directors such as Khaled Ghorbal, Nidhal Ghatta or Nacer Khemir who directed Bab'Aziz, the prince who contemplated his soul (2005), selected in the official competition of the Carthage Film Days in 2006. From this period, let us also mention Fleur d'oubli (2006, Selma Baccar) Tendresse du loup (2007, Jilani Saadi) or L'autre moitié du ciel (2008, Kalthoum Bornaz)
From the revolution to our days
The revolution of 2011 inspired many films or documentaries, such as Never Again Fear (2011) by Mourad Ben Cheikh, Bastardo (2013) by Nejib Belkadhi, I Never Die by Nouri Bouzid (2012), Get Out of My Way by Mohamed Zran (2012), It Was Better Tomorrow by Hinde Boudjemaa (2012) or Cursed be the Phosphate by Sami Tlili, also in 2012. This new freedom of expression acquired since the revolution is not to everyone's taste and some films will be somewhat controversial or will be victims of censorship as the film Making of Nouri Bouzid (2006) which addresses the excesses of Islam.
Many fiction films released in the 2010s tell a wonderful story of contemporary Tunisia, often against the backdrop of the 2011 revolution, such as Parfum de printemps (Ferid Boughir, 2014) or A peine j'ouvre les yeux (Leyla Bouzid, 2015). In addition, a beautiful film, The Professor, by Mahmoud Ben Mahmoud, released in 2012, recalls the years of embers under Bourguiba and allows us to understand the Tunisian political regime before the revolution. At the Cannes Film Festival in 2014, two Tunisian films have naturally found their place: Le Challat de Tunis by Kaouther Ben Hania, one of the 19 films selected by ACID, screened but out of competition, and Une journée sans femme, a short film by Najwa Limam Slama. In 2019, we note, among others, Un divan à Tunis by the Franco-Tunisian Manele Labidi and Un fils by Mehdi Barsaoui. Hinde Boujemaa returns the same year with Noura Dream which wins the Tanit d'or at the Carthage Film Days.
