“”The Tunisian Film Festival is an event dedicated to national cinematography. It represents an ideal platform for promoting the experiences of young Tunisian filmmakers by offering them more visibility and a Tunisian audience“, This is what Mr. Mokhtar Laâjimi, director of this second edition of the festival said, during a press conference held on Saturday June 8, 2019 in the Sophie El Goulli room at the Cité de la Culture, two days before the official start of this event under the patronage of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and the National Establishment for the Promotion of Festivals and Cultural and Artistic demonstrations.
By speaking on this occasion, Mr. Mohamed Hedi Jouini, Director General of the National Establishment for the Promotion of Festivals and Cultural and Artistic events, praised the efforts made by the Office of this event with a view to hoisting it to the highest level, while highlighting the increase in the funds which were allocated to him this year by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs to reach the 500 thousand Dinars.
Speaking at this press conference, Mr. Samir Zgaia, director general of the scenic and audiovisual arts, said that the Tunisian cinema festival did not start from nothing but a very rich cinematographic tradition, while specifying that the national cinematographic scene has reached in recent years a high degree of maturation with 650 production companies including 169 in permanent activity. The vitality of this scene, he added, is easily noticeable through the growing number of filming authorizations which in 2018 reached 196, including 65 execution authorizations on behalf of foreign production companies. Samir Zgaia also said that cinema is a sector of high employability and that the professional cards issued by the Culture Department are 475.
Before lifting the veil on the program of this festival, its director Mokhtar Laâjimi said that this festival is also an opportunity to pay tribute to the pioneers of Tunisian cinema, specifying that during the inaugural session of this event, Monday, June 10, 2019 at the Théâtre des Regions at the Cité de la Culture, several filmmakers will be honored to know: Ahmed Bennis (Photo), Faouzi Thabet Son), Kahena Attia, (Monteuse), Hassen Daldoul (director/producer), Mongia Taboubi (actress), Moncef Sdouri and Ahmed Khechine director of the feature film In the fall rain which will be projected at the opening in a digitized format.
This second edition, which will spread from Monday June 10 to Saturday June 15, will be marked by the projection of around 35 films: 7 feature films fiction, 13 short fiction films, 3 animated films, 9 films of documentary feature films and 3 short documentary films.
The jury of the fiction feature films competition as well as that of the competition for short film and animated films are made up each of seven members while the jury for the competition of documentary films is made up of three members.
The awards of the “gold sparrow” are awarded in the form of an avatar and a financial value to be determined annually according to the budget and financial resources of the festival.
For the current session, prices are defined as follows:
- Best actor: – value 8,000 dinars
- Best actress – value 8 thousand dinars
- Best secondary role of promising women – the value of 7,000 dinars
- Best secondary role men promising – value 7 thousand dinars
- Best scenario – the value of 8,000 dinars
- Best music – value 7 thousand dinars
- Best decor – value 7 thousand dinars
- Best image – the value of 9 thousand dinars
- Best sound – value 9 thousand dinars
- Best assembly – value 8 thousand dinars
- Best costumes – value 7 thousand dinars
- Best first work- the value of 10 thousand dinars
- Best short work – the value of 7,000 dinars
- Better achievement – value 15 thousand dinars
- Better production – value 10 thousand dinars
- Best documentary – the value of 10,000 dinars
- Jury prices for the best documentary treatment – value of 8,000 dinars
- Best animated film – Value 7,000 dinars
- Best integrated kinematic vision (Grand Prix) – the value of 18,000 dinars
- Migration Cinema Prize – Honorary Prize
The total price value is 170 thousand dinars.
During this press conference, the visual identity of the Tunisian Cinema Festival was revealed through the projection of an animated logo inspired by the work of the artist Hédi Selmi. The choice of sparrow both for the prices and for the visual, he explained, is first of all a reference to freedom but also to the greatest Tunisian and Arab filmmakers among which Ferid Boughdir and Youssef Chahine.
It should be recalled that the projections will take place daily at the Ciné 350 and the Tahar Salle Chériâa in the City of Culture. The program also includes a study day on sources of financing from Tunisian cinema with the participation of several experts from Tunisia, Belgium, France and Morocco.
Program (free entry):
According to press release
