The cinema crisis (Series 4/4): The situation in Tunisia
The Maison de l'Opéra in the new Cité de la Culture, in Tunis, hosted for the first time in 2018 the opening ceremony of the Carthage Cinematographic Days (JCC) Film Festival.
© FETHI BELAID / AFP
Text by: Michel Picard Follow
3 min
In Tunisia, cinemas have been closed since October 5, after having already had to draw the curtain three months, from March to June, even a little longer for the few large multi-theater complexes.
The atmosphere is gloomy in the Tunisian film industry.
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Earlier this month, in front of the Cité de la Culture in Tunis, a demonstration denounced the closures of cinemas while cafes, for example, remain open.
In the midst of a violent economic and social crisis, these cultural spaces nevertheless constituted an escape route, in particular for young people, who are used to frequenting small Tunisian theaters.
National crisis, international recognition
However, and this is the paradox, Tunisian cinema continues to shine on the international scene.
If the closure weighs heavily on a whole section of the local industry, Tunisian films are getting noticed abroad.
Like the feature film
The Man Who Sold His Skin
, with Monica Bellucci.
The film by Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania has just won two prizes at the Venice Film Festival and as many at the Bastia Mediterranean Film Festival.
A film which, let us remember, has not yet been screened in Tunisia.
For ten years and the end of the dictatorship, a new generation of filmmakers and producers have been able to bring to the screen themes long banned, from social unrest to political questions, including personal conflicts.
No more unsaid and metaphors to address sensitive themes.
This sincerity and authenticity not only filled the rooms, but also revealed successes on the international scene.
A feeling of being on your own
Beyond these successes abroad, what are the consequences of the crisis on the sector in Tunisia?
The owners and operators of cinemas, without revenue, hope to pay part of their expenses with the aid promised by the state.
And on the side of the productions and the actors, the consequences are heavier, because all the shootings were first suspended for three months in the spring.
The stopping, a second time, of the cinematographic life of the country, after a long period of confinement and targeted deconfinement during this year, is a blow.
Professionals in the sector feel on their own.
They claim that no support mechanism has so far been put in place by the government to help this stricken sector.
The hundreds of intermittents in the world of cinema, for example, do not have any status, legal framework or social cover.
They do not appear in statistics relating to the economically active population or in those listing the unemployed.
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To read also:
The cinema crisis (Series 1/4): The film industry facing reconfinement
► To read also:
The cinema crisis (Series 2/4): The situation in the United States
► To read also:
The cinema crisis (Series 3/4): The situation in India
► To read also:
The cinema crisis (Series 4/4): The situation in Tunisia
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