Tunisia launches Carthage Film Days beyond all penalties

TUNISIA – Less than a week after a suicide bombing in the center of the capital, Tunisia has proved overwhelmed by the opening of one of its oldest festivals, the Carthage Cinema Days, Saturday night. In the midst of artists and politicians.
The city of culture, which inaugurated this year's 29th edition of the festival, opened the red carpet and welcomed artists and filmmakers from around the world.
"I think it's a special session, thanks to the guests and the number of presentations," Prime Minister Youssef Shahed told Tunisian television before the opening ceremony. "The message is that the more culture wins, the less violence, extremism and terrorism fall".
"Resistance to violence, extremism and terrorism is based not only on security and military means, but also on youth culture and curiosity, and cinema is a very important means of overcoming these phenomena" , did he declare.
The City of Culture hosted for the first time the opening ceremony of the festival, which began its first session in 1966, the oldest festival among the countries of the South.
The opening ceremony began with a concert by playwright Sondos Belhassan, who presented the program of the session, a presentation of the program of the course and dance paintings, in the presence of Prime Minister Youssef Al-Shahed, the Minister of Culture Mohamed Zine El Abidine and several political and diplomatic figures and representatives of diplomatic missions in Tunisia.
The director of the festival, Najib Ayyad, said in a speech that the session was working to return to the constants of the festival, as an Arab and African festival and that the goal is to find a balance between the poles.
"It's a southern feast that thoroughly combines three continents with Mediterranean flavor."
The festival, which gathered more than 500 foreign guests, includes 206 films from 47 countries, most of which are produced in 2018. Tunisia has 23 films out of 54 Arab films.
The festival has allocated 19 cinemas in the capital, including Culture City, as well as other venues in four cities: Nabeul, Sfax, Siliana and Mahdia. Special offers were also made in six penitentiary units in the country.
"The festival is full of struggle and space for freedom, tolerance and convergence," Ayyad said.
The organizers of the festival, located a few meters from the terrorist attack that struck the capital last week, were busy decorating Habib Bourguiba Street and raising banners announcing the Arab-African film festival. Folk groups of young actors have also organized street events in front of a large audience.
On Saturday, roadblocks were set up along Habib Bourguiba Street and security forces were deployed in front of the roads leading to them and searched the pedestrian bags.
In front of the Culture City complex where the opening ceremony was held, security personnel also deployed and subjected the public to a thorough inspection. Najib Ayyad, director of the festival, said: "All the guests have confirmed their presence in favor of the festival, which is an opportunity to delight Tunisians and guests," said Najib Ayyad, director of the festival.
The guests of the twenty-ninth session of filmmakers, Europeans and African and Arab politicians, as well as Arab movie stars on the red carpet before reaching the complex of the city of culture in the center of the capital.
"We continue with one hand, we who will stay for reasons of truth and humanity," said Egyptian artist Laila El-Alawi.
For his part, Iraqi director and critic Hussain Al-Ansari said: "Culture is the first weapon against extremism", adding that "support and assistance … give a signal to those who want to extinguish the light of life that the meshal culture illuminates his way and gives him joy. "
The film "No Homeland" by Moroccan director Nargis Najjar opened the new session at the Opera House of Culture City.
The film highlights the issue of Moroccans expelled from Algeria in 1975.
The official competition of Arab and African directors includes 44 films, including 13 feature films, 12 short films and 11 papers, in competition for the Golden Tanit Award.
The festival will last until the 10th of this month and will feature more than 200 films from around the world.
Among the Arab countries participating in the official competition are Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.
Among the Arab films in competition are "Rabbani Wind" by Algerian Marzak Allouache and "Lachsha from the World" by Tunisian Nasr El-Din El-Suhaili and "Sufism" by Mariam Ben Mubarak and "Yara" by Iraqi Abbas Fadel.
African countries include South Africa, Congo, Cameroon, Madagascar, Guinea and Senegal.
He is president of the jury of feature films, the American film critic Deborah Yang.
The Carthage Film Days include film screening in six Tunisian prisons in the presence of about 500 prisoners, jointly organized by the festival administration, the World Organization Against Torture and the Ministry of Education. Justice, which supervises prisons in Tunisia.
The festival honors four countries – Iraq, Senegal, India and Brazil – through more than 60 cinematic works outside the competition.