Tunisian director, writer and editor Moufida Tlatli died on Sunday February 7th at the age of 74. The Tunisian Ministry of Cultural Affairs paid tribute to the lifetime achievement of this pioneer of Tunisian cinema.
“Les Silences du Palais”, the Arab woman under the weight of the past
Now a cult film, her first feature “Les Silences du Palais” was the first in Tunisia to be directed by a woman. It’s about a young singer Alia – her mother a servant, her father unknown – returning to the palace of her childhood. Exploring the legacy of colonialism and patriarchy in Tunisian society, the film shows the inter-generational trauma suffered by Arab women.
Released in 1994, “Les Silences du Palais” won the Tanit d’Or and Best Actress award at the Carthage Cinematographic Days in 2014 and the Camera d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Film critic Mark Cousins of the Guardian named it one of Africa’s 10 best films for 2012.
In an interview with Le Monde in 1994, Moufida Tlatli says the film is a journey into the heart of her own past:
“My job as a film editor was completely satisfying to me,” she says, “and I had no idea of becoming a director. Until the day my mother lost the power of speech. It lasted five years, until her death. Out of this silence, which was like all those I had known in my childhood, was born the desire, the need to write and direct this film.” (Source: lemonde.fr)
Moufida Tlatli, a committed filmmaker
Born in 1947 in Sidi Bou Saïd, Moufida Tlatli studied in Paris at the IDHEC (Institut des hautes études cinématographiques). Writer and production manager at ORTF between 1968 and 1972, she returned to Tunisia in 1972 to work as an editor. She became a reference in the film industry, working on several films including Merzak Allouache’s “Omar Gatlato”, Nacer Khémir’s “Les Baliseurs du Désert” and Michel Khleifi’s “The Song of the Stones”. In 2001, she became the first North African director to be a jury member at the Cannes Film Festival. Following the 2011 Jasmine Revolution, Ms. Tlatli was appointed Minister of Culture in the transitional government of Mohamed El Ghennouchi.
Moufida Tlatli’s commitment has deeply marked how feminism is perceived by the Arab world’s film industry. Her desire to change society has been a real driving force for the cause of women.
For more information about Tunisian films, click here.
Sources: cinematunisien.com, theguardian.co.uk, kapitalis.com
