Title of film : Tunis by Night
Director Name : Elyes Baccar
Cast & crew :
Producer : Mohamed Ali Ben Hamra
Editor : Anas Saadi
Cast :
Synopsis : After more than two decades working for Tunisia national public radio, Youssef is on his way to retirement. Somewhere in the town of Sidi Bouzid, a young man sets himself on fire. Such innocuous announcement does not change anything in Youssef’s ritual who welcomes this special day with the same platitude that characterizes his monotonous and boring life between "St. George" pub and the radio station. As in any other morning, he smokes his umpteenth cigarette in front of the open window, drinks his now-cold Turkish coffee and checks out his skinny and tired body in front of the broken glass. On the same day, his wife Amal finds refuge again in prayer and is coping as she can after breast removal surgery. She is preparing to welcome fifty women invited to her home for an evening of their singing club. Their youngest daughter Aziza lives completely disconnected from the pace and values of her family. She inherited her father's passion for alcohol and is involved without restraint to her rock band and her boyfriend Selim. The elder brother Amin, expelled from the US by the FBI after 9/11, keeps on going to the mosque and tries to put his family’s pieces back together as well as he can. Trying to allude to the incident that took place in Sidi Bouzid, Youssef is viciously cut off broadcasting during the last issue of "Tunis by night". The decision comes from the director of the radio who was applying the instructions coming "from above ". He was also about to make a live declaration of love to his wife but a patriotic song was launched against his will and without his knowledge. As he leaves the radio station, he gets picked up by a police patrol car waiting for him and he spends a few hours in police custody. Revolted but silent, Youssef takes refuge at the "Saint George, the adjacent bar he has been a patron forever. He empties his mind after emptying a few bottles of wine. The same evening, Aziza cuts her veins after a cascade of problems. Youssef then runs away from his family to be engulfed by a city he does not recognize anymore…
Director Bio : Born in 1971 in Tunisia. Tunisian citizenship. Produced several Tunisian and foreign films. Directed commercials, plays and musicals.
Filmography :
