The Carthage Cinematographic Days have lifted the veil on the complete program for their 36th edition, presented during a press conference at the Cité de la Culture. The management promises a broader festival, more inclusive and always faithful to its DNA: a space where committed Arab and African cinemas meet.
The opening will be marked by Palestine 36 by Annemarie Jacir, a film representing Palestine at the Oscars, screened at the Théâtre de l’Opéra.
A consolidated budget
Tarek Ben Chaabane, director of the JCC, indicated that the overall budget reached 3.8 million dinars, including 3 million provided by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. The rest comes from own revenues and partnerships.
Tickets will be sold between 5 and 6 dinars, with a student rate reduced to 3 dinars, in order to preserve the popular dimension of the festival.
42 films and a strong Tunisian presence
The three official competitions will bring together 42 films from 19 countries, including nine Tunisian works competing for the Tanits. The selection includes 14 feature-length fiction films, 12 feature-length documentaries, 16 short films.
The works come from Burkina Faso, Congo, Morocco, Senegal, Nigeria, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Lebanon, South Africa, Cape Verde, Togo, Syria and Tunisia.
Tunisia competes in the flagship categories with Promis le Ciel by Erige Sehiri, La Voix de Hind Rajab by Kaouther Ben Hania and Where the Wind Comes From by Amel Guellaty. On the documentary side, Notre Semence by Anis Lassoued and On The Hill by Belhassen Handous complete the national presence.
The short films selected are Reprieve by Walid Tayaa, Tomatoes maudits by Marwa Tiba and The Burden of the Wings by Rami Jarboui.
Recognized figures
The fiction jury will be led by Palestinian filmmaker Najwa Najjar, surrounded by Kantarama Gahigiri, Lotfi Achour, Lotfi Bouchouchi and Jean-Michel Frodon.
For documentaries, the presidency goes to Raja Amari, accompanied by Laura Nikolov, Alassane Diago, Eliane Raheb and Nadia Kaabi-Linke.
Carthage Pro: a springboard for projects
The “Carthage Pro” professional platform will host 17 projects between December 15 and 18: 8 projects in post-production in the Takmil workshop, 9 projects in development in the Chabaka space.
Created in 1992, this structure supports the production of films from the writing stage to finalization.
Palestine at the center of this edition
The festival places Palestine at the heart of its artistic system. In addition to the opening film, several works evoke Gaza, Palestinian memory or stories of resistance:
- From Ground Zero by Rashid Masharawi,
- Once Upon a Time in Gaza by Arab & Tarzan Nasser,
- the short Coyotes by Said Zagha and Intersecting Memory by Shayma Awawdeh,
- Qaher by Nada Khalifa in Ciné Promesse.
Other focuses and views on the world
Tributes will be paid to filmmakers Fadhel Jaziri, Paulin Soumanou Vieyra, Souleymane Cissé, Claudia Cardinale, Walid Chmait and Ziad Rahbani.
Focuses will highlight Armenian, Filipino, Spanish and Latin American cinema and a “Green Cinema” section dedicated to environmental issues will present films from Tunisia, Lebanon, Syria and Palestine.
The festival outside the walls
The JCCs will deploy in several regions, as well as in prisons (December 14–20) and barracks (December 17–24). Meetings, publications and parallel activities will accompany this edition, faithful to the activist and open vocation of the festival since its creation in 1966.
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