Fouledh
Spring Grants 2019 - Production Stage
Mehdi Hmili, Abdallah Chamekh / Feature Documentary / Tunisia, Qatar / 100 min / Original Language: Arabic / Interests: Psychological, Creative Documentary
Synopsis
In the largest steel factory of Tunisia on the cusp of being privatized, four workers suffer from physical and psychological disorders after their close colleague dies in an oven explosion in front of their eyes. The four workers consult a psychologist to overcome their trauma. We discover through these sessions the intimacy of these four workers: Batfing, the young rap singer and drug addict who claims to see ghosts. Fethi, the former cinema projectionist who is losing his sight. Ali, the pious union delegate going through a painful divorce, and Tawfik who returns from chemotherapy and fights for his right to early retirement. A debate about their health problems develops into a broader discussion about the social and environmental conditions, facing strong repression from the establishment. The young generation of workers is tired of struggling against the system and wants to leave the factory while the older ones attempt to convince them to take over and unite against the administration which seeks to privatize the factory. A strike begins, and the four workers decide to stand together against the administration to raise their concerns. It is obvious that a change need to happen in this factory of terror.
Credits
- Director
- Mehdi Hmili, Abdallah Chamekh
- Screenwriter
- Mehdi Hmili
- Producer
- Moufida Fedhila
- Production Company
- Yol Film House
- Production Company
- Yol Film House
About the Director
Mehdi Hmili is a filmmaker, screenwriter and producer. He was born in Tunis and graduated from the Paris Film School. While in France, he directed his trilogy in black-and-white about love and exile—’X-Moment’ (2009), ‘Li-La’ (2011) and ‘The Night of Badr’ (2012). His first feature-length film, ‘Thala Mon Amour’ (2016), was selected in worldwide film festivals and won several prizes, among them the Best Original Screenplay and the Best Actress Award at Oujda film Festival. His last documentary film ‘Fouledh’ selected in La Fabrique Cinema at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival won several development prizes such as the El Gouna Film Festival award. A former football player, Hmili recounts his own story in ‘Streams’ his second featurelength film currently in post-production. Mehdi Hmili is also a Torino Film Lab Alumni, and lives and works between Paris and Tunis.
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