The official selection of films to be shown at the Cannes Film Festival has been published, with two north African films chosen in the “Un certain regard” section. This year’s festival, the 70th, will run from May 17th to 28th.
One of the films is “Aala Kaf Ifrit” (Beauty and the Dogs) by young Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania. Her film is about a young Tunisian student, Mariam, raped during a police check. The director made her name with her first film, Le Challat de Tunis, selected in the “Parallel” section at Cannes in 2015. “Beauty and the Dogs” also won the Tanit d’Or at the 2016 Carthage Festival. It will the first Tunisian film shown in an official selection at Cannes for 17 years.
The other north African film selected, En attendant les hirondelles (Waiting for the Swallows) was made by Algerian Karim Moussaoui. It follows three different characters: a rich property developer, a neurologist and a young woman. These three plot-lines show the characters’ evolution in present-day Algeria. The film was supported by the Institut français in Algeria and participated in the 2015 Cannes Film Festival’s Résidence de la Cinéfondation.
For the official selection, click here.
Sources: HuffingtonPostMaghreb.com, Jeune Afrique.com, festival-cannes.com
