Tunis (AFP)
The 30th edition of the "Journées Cinématographiques de Carthage" (JCC) festival opened Saturday night in Tunis with the screening of the film "The Scarecrows" by the renowned Tunisian filmmaker Nouri Bouzid.
For this 2019 edition, filmmakers from African, Arab and European countries were present at the launch of the festival in the Cité de la Culture, in the Tunisian capital.
"The Scarecrows" director Nouri Bouzid evokes the "sexual jihad" and staged the journey of two Tunisian parties in Syria, where they were raped repeatedly by jihadists before returning to their country in 2013.
"The sex jihad affair has caused a lot of emotions and shook the political world in 2013, and we have to hold ourselves accountable before turning the page," said Bouzid, whose film has already been awarded the Special Human Rights at the 76th Venice Film Festival.
During this edition of the JCC, 44 feature films and documentaries are in competition, representing nine Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, but also African countries. Most deal with political themes such as freedom or the rejection of extremism and corruption.
The organizers have noted an increase in Arab films in competition for this 2019 edition dedicated to Néjib Ayad, former director of the JCC and deceased in August.
In total, 19 works of Arab directors are represented in the different sections of the festival, including 8 in official competition, according to the organizers.
Among them, "Scales" by director Shahed Ameen is the first participation of a Saudi woman in the festival since its launch in 1966.
Also in official competition, "Papicha" by the Algerian filmmaker Mounia Meddour, who will represent Algeria at the Oscars although he could not go out in his country. The film tells the story of Nedjma (played by Lyna Khoudri), a student in Algiers in the 1990s, during the bloody civil war in Algeria.
This festival reserved for Arab and African directors is a major cultural event in Tunisia.
© 2019 AFP