CHALLAT OF TUNIS

CHALLAT OF TUNIS (LE CHALLAT DE TUNIS), 2014
Tunusia, France | HDD, Color, 90’ | Arabic
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Cast: Mohamed Slim Bouchiha, Jallel Dridi, Moufida Dridi

The film follows a man known as “The Blade” who slashes women’s buttocks as he lurks the streets on a motorbike with a razor blade in his hand. This mockumentary opens with former president Ben Ali’s speech from 2003, in which he said, “The Tunisian people are always safe.” Challat of Tunis addresses issues such as women's rights, state repression and censorship in a country that has transitioned from dictatorship to sharia with a sincere and humorous approach. Ben Hania, who came to the fore with her film, The Man Who Sold His Skin, Tunisia's Oscar nominee this year, believes—and makes her viewers also believe—that a questionable truth can only be conveyed through what can be described as a documentary in form, and fiction in terms of content.