Fouledh
Spring Grants 2019 - Production Stage

Mehdi Hmili, Abdallah Chamekh / Feature Documentary / Tunisia, France, Luxembourg, Qatar / Original Language: Arabic / Interests: Drama
Synopsis
In the largest steel factory in Tunisia, on the edge of being privatised, two workers suffer from physical and psychological disorders after their close colleague died in the explosion of an oven in front of their eyes. While they try to overcome their trauma, we discover the intimacy of these two workers—Batfing, the young rap singer and drug addict who claims to see ghosts and Fethi, the former cinema projectionist who is losing his view.
Then begins a long descent into hell for the two workers, who gradually detach themselves from the real world and question the meaning of life and the sacrifice they make to provide for their families. Conceived as a long funeral poem and divided into three chapters—Hell, Purgatory and Paradise—the film follows two generations of steelworkers who survive in a factory of terror, waiting for a national renaissance.
Credits
- Director
- Mehdi Hmili, Abdallah Chamekh
- Screenwriter
- Mehdi Hmili
- Producer
- Moufida Fedhila
- Production Company
- Yol Film House
About the Director

Mehdi Hmili, a Tunisian director, producer, and screenwriter, trained in film in Paris. Alongside Moufida Fedhila, he founded "Yol Film House," a Tunis-based production company that has produced award-winning fiction and documentary films screened in international festivals, including Cannes, Berlinale, Zurich Film Festival, Red Sea Film Festival. In 2019, he participated in La Fabrique Cinéma du Monde at Cannes Film Festival with the feature documentary, 'Fouledh'. His second feature film, 'Streams', which he directed and co-produced, premiered at the 74th Locarno Film Festival and earned critical acclaim, including Best Director Award at the 12th Malmö Arab Film Festival, Best Acting Performance at the 43rd Cairo International Film Festival, and Jury Award at the 27th Kolkata International Film Festival. Mehdi is a prominent figure in the new generation of Tunisian filmmakers and producers, and he is a major player in the current Tunisian cinematographic landscape. As a Torino Film Lab Alumni and showrunner of 'All About Adam', a true-story-inspired fiction, he continues to challenge filmmaking boundaries and captivate global audiences with compelling stories.
Abdallah Chamekh is a Tunisian filmmaker. His film ‘Now and Here’ was selected in more than 30 international film festivals, received the Grand Prix at Med Memories 2014. In 2017, he created ‘CineLabo’ an in-school environment for children to learn filmmaking, which is supported by The Tunisian Ministry of Culture. Abdallah Chamekh is currently preparing his documentary film ‘Fouledh’, a Tunisian-German production, and currently lives and works in Tunis.
Contacts
-
Main Contact
Moufida Fedhila
- Company:
- Yol Film House
- Phone:
- +216 71 353 008
- Email:
- yol.filmhouse@gmail.com