Leyla Bouzid (born 1984 in

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

), is a

Tunisia ) , image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa , image_map2 = , capital = Tunis , largest_city = capital , ...

n screenwriter and film director.

Early life and education

Born in Tunis in 1984, Bouzid is the daughter of the director

Nouri Bouzid Nouri Bouzid (born 1945) is a Tunisian film director and screenwriter. He has directed seven films between 1986 and 2006. His film ''Man of Ashes'' was screened in the Un Certain Regard section the 1986 Cannes Film Festival. Three years later, ...

. She grew up in Tunisia, spending her adolescence in Tunis. After her baccalaureate, she moved to Paris to study literature at the Sorbonne. After achieving a first short film, Bonjour (Sbah el khir el), she completed her studies at La Fémis. Bouzid short film ''Twitching'' was her graduation film for La Fémis; it was shot in Tunisia. In 2012, ''Twitching'' screened in a competition at the

Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival The Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival (French: ''Festival international du court métrage de Clermont-Ferrand'') is an international film festival dedicated to short films held annually in Clermont-Ferrand, France. History I ...

, where it was well received. It also won the Grand Jury Prize of student films at the Festival Premiers Plans d'Angers.

Career

In 2013, ''Zakaria'' was Bouzid's first produced short film. In 2015, her feature film,

As I Open My Eyes ''As I Open My Eyes'' (french: À peine j'ouvre les yeux) is a 2015 French-Tunisian drama film directed by Leyla Bouzid. It was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. Baya Medhaffar st ...

, was selected for several festivals. It won acclaim at events like the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...

, the

Carthage Film Festival The Carthage Film Festival (CFF) is an annual film festival that takes place in Tunis and founded in 1966. It is also called by its abbreviation JCC, from its French name, , or by its Arabic title, (''Cinema Days of Carthage''). Initially bienn ...

, the International Festival of Young Filmmakers of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, the

Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur The ''Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur'' (FIFF) is a festival dedicated to French speaking films in Namur, Belgium created in 1986, reflecting francophone diversity, from Europe, Canada and Africa. History The festival is cr ...

, and the International Film Festival of Dubai.

investigates the modern Tunisian identity through focusing on a young woman's personal relationships during the political instability in the months before the

Tunisian Revolution The Tunisian Revolution, also called the Jasmine Revolution, was an intensive 28-day campaign of civil resistance. It included a series of street demonstrations which took place in Tunisia, and led to the ousting of longtime president Zine El ...

. The film marries the private life of a young Tunisian woman with the story of her nation at the cusp of fundamental change; "the young female body of Farah, with her voice and gaze, plays a pivotal role in how the movie is intensely meandering between the political and the nonpolitical."

Filmography

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

: ''Bonjour'' (''Sbah el khir''), court métrage en tant que co-réalisatrice et co-scénariste ; *

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

: ''Un Ange passe'', court métrage en tant que réalisatrice et co-scénariste (film de troisième année) ; *

: ''Condamnation'', court métrage réalisé par Walid Mattar en tant que co-scénariste ; *

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

: ''Soubresauts'', court métrage en tant que réalisatrice et co-scénariste (film de fin d'étude) ; *

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

: ''Offrande'', court métrage réalisé par Walid Mattar en tant que co-scénariste ; *

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

: ''Zakaria'', court métrage en tant que réalisatrice et co-scénariste ; *

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

: '' À peine j'ouvre les yeux'', long métrage en tant que réalisatrice et co-scénariste avec Marie-Sophie Chambon. *

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

: '' A Tale of Love and Desire''

Awards and nominations

References

Sources

Bibliography

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External links

* . {{DEFAULTSORT:Bouzid, Leyla 1984 births Tunisian screenwriters Living people Tunisian women film directors Tunisian film directors