Nacer Khemir ( ar, ناصر خمير), born in 1948 in Korba,

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, is a Tunisian writer, artist, storyteller, and filmmaker.

Biography

From an early age, Khemir was fascinated by classical Arabic culture and by storytelling. He has cited the One Thousand and One Nights as a particular influence, saying, "I am a child of these stories." However, in spite of this interest and a similar, lasting passion for film, Khemir initially planned a career as a painter and sculptor - a path he has, throughout his life, continued to pursue; his art has been exhibited at, among other institutions, the

Centre Pompidou The Centre Pompidou (), more fully the Centre national d'art et de culture Georges-Pompidou ( en, National Georges Pompidou Centre of Art and Culture), also known as the Pompidou Centre in English, is a complex building in the Beaubourg area of ...

and the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. In 1966, at the age of eighteen, he was awarded a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

fellowship to study film in Paris. In 1975, he completed his first film, ''L’Histoire du pays du Bon Dieu (The History of God's Country)'', shot in his hometown of Korba and featuring the desert setting and spiritual overtones that would figure prominently in his later work. Released in 1984, his first feature film, '' Les baliseurs du désert (Wanderers of the Desert)'', garnered international acclaim. The film, which tells the story of a schoolteacher's arrival in a strange and haunting desert town, was awarded the Grand Prix at the Festival des Trois Continents. Khemir's second feature, ''Le collier perdu de la colombe (The Dove's Lost Necklace)'', was released in 1991. The dialogue of the film is in Classical Arabic. Its narrative, reminiscent of a fairy tale, concerns a young calligrapher in

Al-Andalus Al-Andalus translit. ; an, al-Andalus; ast, al-Ándalus; eu, al-Andalus; ber, ⴰⵏⴷⴰⵍⵓⵙ, label= Berber, translit=Andalus; ca, al-Àndalus; gl, al-Andalus; oc, Al Andalús; pt, al-Ândalus; es, al-Ándalus () was the M ...

who embarks on a quest to find the missing fragments of a manuscript that he believes will reveal to him the secrets of love. ''Le collier perdu de la colombe'' was the recipient of several awards, including a Special Jury Prize at the

Locarno International Film Festival The Locarno Film Festival is an annual film festival, held every August in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narrative, documentary, ...

. ''Les baliseurs du désert'' and ''Le collier perdu de la colombe'' are considered to form the first two parts of a "Desert Trilogy." The third part, '' Bab'Aziz: le prince qui contemplait son âme (Bab'Aziz: The Prince Who Contemplated His Soul)'' was released in 2005. ''Bab'Aziz'' tells the story of an elderly

dervish Dervish, Darvesh, or Darwīsh (from fa, درویش, ''Darvīsh'') in Islam can refer broadly to members of a Sufi fraternity (''tariqah''), or more narrowly to a religious mendicant, who chose or accepted material poverty. The latter usage i ...

who, accompanied by his young granddaughter, encounters several mysterious strangers as he journeys to a large and joyful Sufi gathering in the desert. Khemir has described ''Bab'Aziz'' as "a highly political film, and deliberately so," saying:

"I would explain it with this allegory: if you are walking alongside your father and he suddenly falls down, his face in the mud, what would you do? You would help him stand up, and wipe his face with your shirt. My father’s face stands for Islam, and I tried to wipe Islam’s face clean with my movie, by showing an open, tolerant and friendly Islamic culture, full of love and wisdom . . . an Islam that is different from the one depicted by the media in the aftermath of 9/11."

The film was co-produced by eight countries, including Germany, France, Switzerland, and Iran. It was the recipient of a Golden Dagger at the Muscat Film Festival. In addition to his work as an artist and filmmaker, Khemir has performed as a storyteller at the

Théâtre national de Chaillot The Théâtre National de Chaillot (English: Chaillot National Theatre) is a theatre located in the Palais de Chaillot at 1, place du Trocadéro, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. Close by the Eiffel Tower and the Trocadéro Gardens—the Th� ...

, and has produced work for Swiss, French, and Tunisian television. He is the author of a number of books, including several for children.

Filmography

*'' Les baliseurs du désert (Wanderers of the Desert)'', 1984 (also known as El Haimoune) *'' Le collier perdu de la colombe (The Dove's Lost Necklace)'', 1991 *'' Bab'Aziz: le prince qui contemplait son âme (Bab'Aziz: The Prince Who Contemplated His Soul)'', 2005

Published work

*''Le chant de génies'', 2001 *''J’avale le bébé du voisin'', 2000 *''La grand-mère, le juge et la mouche'', 2000 *''Le livre des djinns'', 2000 *''L’alphabet des sables'', 1998 *''Paroles d’Islam'', 1994 *''Sheherazade'', 1987 *''Grand-père est né'', 1985 *''Le conte des conteurs'', 1984 *''Le sommeil emmure'', 1978 *''L'ogresse'', 1975

Awards and honors

*Prix Henri Langlois, 2007 *East-West Coexistence Award, Beirut Film Foundation, 2006 *Prix Spécial du Jury,

, 1991 *Grand Prix, Belfort International Film Festival, 1991 *Prix de la Première Œuvre, Carthage Film Festival, 1984 *Grand Prix, Festival des Trois Continents, 1984 *Palme d'Or and Premier Prix de la Critique, Mostra de Valencia, 1984

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khemir, Nacer Tunisian film directors Tunisian writers 1948 births Living people