Mohamed Ben Attia, born January 5, 1976, in Tunis,[1] is a Tunisian director and screenwriter.[1]

Mohamed Ben Attia
Born5th of June,1976
NationalityTunisian
CitizenshipTunisian
Alma materInstitute of Higher Commercial Studies of Carthage, university of Valenciennes
Occupations
  • Tunisian Director
  • Screen writer
Years active2005 - Present
AwardsSilver award Comme les autres, Best Berlinale premiere for Hedi, a wind of freedom, Diamond Valois (best film) at the Angoulême Francophone Film Festival for Hedi, a wind of freedom

Early life and education

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Born in 1976 in Tunis, Tunisia, he graduated from the Institute of Higher Commercial Studies of Carthage in 1998.[1] Then, he projected a film career and tried to enter La Femis in Paris, which he was denied access after the third and final round of selections. A few years later, Ben Attia is holder of a diploma of specialized higher studies in audio-visual communication obtained at the university of Valenciennes.[1]

Career

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After various jobs in audiovisual post-production, he was finally hired for twelve years in a commercial position and prospecting at a car dealership in Tunis.[2]

Trained at the writing workshop Sud Écriture in Tunis, he began writing and directing several short fiction films, starting with Romantisme : deux comprimés matin et soir in 2005. His second short film : Comme les autres (Kif Lokhrim) was produced in 2006. After Mouja, unveiled at the Carthage Film Festival 2010 and selected at CinemAfrica 2011 in Stockholm, he directed Loi 76 (2011), his fourth short film, then Selma (2013).[1]

He moved to feature film in 2016 with Hedi, a wind of freedom produced by Dora Bouchoucha (Nomadis Images) and co-produced by the Dardenne brothers (Les Films du Fleuve), convinced by his latest short film and script.[2]

In 2018, he participated in the Cannes Film Festival where his film Dear Son is screened at the Directors' Fortnight.[3]

Filmography

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  • 2005 - Romantisme: deux comprimés matin et soir (short)
  • 2006 - Comme les autres (short)
  • 2010 - Mouja (short)
  • 2011 - Loi 76 (short)
  • 2013 - Selma (short)
  • 2016 - Hedi
  • 2018 - Dear Son[4]
  • 2023 - Behind the Mountains

Awards

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  • 2006
    • Silver award at Fespaco for Comme les autres
    • Best Berlinale premiere at the Berlinale for Hedi, a wind of freedom.[5]
    • Diamond Valois (best film) at the Angoulême Francophone Film Festival for Hedi, a wind of freedom.[6]
    • City of Amiens Award (Best Director) and CCAS Award at the Amiens International Film Festival for Hedi, a wind of freedom.
    • Golden Athena award (best film) at the Athens International Film Festival for Hedi, a wind of freedom. [7]
    • Domaine Clarence Dillon Jury Grand Prix and Erasmus + Jury Prize at the Independent International Film Festival in Bordeaux for Hedi, a wind of freedom.
  • 2017
    • Prix Lumières for Best Francophone Film at the 22nd Annual Prix Lumières Ceremony for Hedi, a wind of freedom.[8]
    • First Feature Award at the COLCOA French Film Festival for Hedi, a wind of freedom.[9]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e "Mohamed BEN ATTIA". notreCinema.com. Retrieved 2018-11-06.
  2. ^ a b "Cinéma. Mohamed Ben Attia : "La situation de l'homme m'interpelle, surtout dans le monde arabe"". Courrier international (in French). 2016-12-28. Retrieved 2018-11-06.
  3. ^ ""Weldi" du réalisateur tunisien Mohamed Ben Attia interpelle le public et la presse à Cannes". Al HuffPost Maghreb (in French). 2018-05-14. Archived from the original on May 16, 2018. Retrieved 2018-11-06.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ^ "Cannes 2018 : "Weldi", la tragédie des parents de Sami, parti faire le djihad". Culturebox (in French). Retrieved 2018-11-06.
  5. ^ "Mohamed Ben Attia and the First Feature jury". www.berlinale.de. Retrieved 2018-11-06.
  6. ^ AlloCine. "Valois de Diamant - Festival du Film Francophone d'Angoulême". AlloCiné (in French). Retrieved 2018-11-06.
  7. ^ "Hedi tops Athens awards". Cineuropa. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  8. ^ "Hédi rafle le prix du meilleur film francophone à la 22ème cérémonie des Lumières | Tekiano :: TeK'n'Kult" (in French). Retrieved 2018-11-06.
  9. ^ "Toutes les actus | FCFA". FCFA (in French). Retrieved 2018-11-06.