Friday, May 19 at 10 p.m., the Tunisian film team Les Filles d’Olfa, directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, climbed the steps of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.
The programming of this film on Friday, in the evening gala and an hour of great visibility, testifies to its exceptional development.
At the end of the screening, the director revealed that Thierry Frémaux, general delegate of the festival, had entrusted him with significant information: Olffa’s girls is the very first film to be selected in official competition for this 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival. This proves how much he liked the artistic direction of the festival. Moreover, Thierry Frémaux had elogencyly spoke of the film at the press conference he had given on May 15, one day before the festival opened.
The climb of the steps was marked by the presence of many guests, Tunisian and foreign. Among the Tunisian personalities were the Minister of Cultural Affairs Hayet Guettat, the Consul of Tunisia in Nice Kamel Ben Hassine, the director of the CNCI Noomen Hamrouni, as well as the executive director of Carthage Cinematographic Days (JCC) Lamia Belkaid and her husband, producer Taoufik Guiga. Were also present the director Brahim Letaief, the president of Master Film Festival of Film (Miff) in Hammamet, Moktar Ladjimi, producers Dorra Bouchoucha and Lina Chaabane, as well as Habib Attia, Lassaad and Rafik Kilani who co -produced the film.
Among the foreign guests were the screenwriter and producer Mohamed Hefzy, the co -founder of the El Gouna Samih Sawiris festival, the director general of the El Gouna Amr Mansy festival, the director and general manager of the Cairo International Film Festival Amir Ramses, Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab of Mad Solution, Ahmed Shawky and Andrew Mohsen, and the producer Daniel Ziskind.
The film team, including director Kaouther Ben Hania, the protagonists of the film Olfa Hamrouni and her two daughters Eya and Tayssir Chikhaoui, the actresses Hend Sabry, Nour Karoui and Ichraq Matar, the actor Majd Mastoura and the producer Nadim Cheikhrouha, made a climb of the moving marches. After the screening of the film, the public reserved a standing ovation of about ten minutes, thus testifying to the deep impact that Olffa’s girls on spectators.
Deeply moved and in tears, the director pronounced a few words to express her gratitude to all those who supported her and shouted with pride: ” We are in Canneeeeeees! ».
In just two years, Kaouther Ben Hania has offered Tunisia His first Oscar appointment for the best international film And an official selection in Cannes for 53 years. Chance of calendar, this coincides with the centenary of Tunisian cinema. And another wink to history is a woman who made these two exploits, a Tunisian woman!
This evening was also marked by a Tunisian atmosphere in Cannes, highlighting the country’s cultural richness. The event highlighted the importance of culture as an ambassador of a nation, making it possible to promote a country and create connections with the rest of the world. The presence of Olfa girls In Cannes arouses indescribable happiness and pride by seeing their country in the spotlight in this way.
It is time for our leaders to understand the importance of culture and its benefits for the country, on several levels, social, economic, etc. The Ministry of Cultural Affairs is not a ministry of leisure and lost time, it should collaborate with other important ministries such as the Ministry of Tourism or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to make Tunisia shine, its culture, its history and its heritage.
After the screening, an evening was organized by co -producers and the distributor in France, thus offering the opportunity to the members of the film team, guests and representatives of the film industry to celebrate this remarkable success.
A detailed article on the film will follow, offering an in -depth analysis of its content and its realization. Olffa’s girls represents a significant advance for Tunisian cinema and a brilliant proof of the capacity of Tunisians to carry out miracles when they are given the opportunity to work.
Neïla Driss
