A Tale of Love and Desire 2021
Leyla Bouzid / 102 mins / French, Arabic / Rating 15
Synopsis
In collaboration with T A P E and Birds’ Eye View, we present a special screening of A Tale Of Love and Desire (Une Histoire d'Amour et de Désir) written and directed by Leyla Bouzid. The screening will be presented with Selma Dabbagh, editor of the anthology We Wrote In Symbols.The film follows Ahmed (Sami Outalbali), an 18-year-old French Algerian who meets Farah, a young Tunisian woman. In their lessons about Arab literature, Ahmed discovers more than just a collection of sensual and erotic Arab literature as he tries to resist the desire he feels for Farah. The film was nominated for Carthage Film Festival's Tanit d'Or award, selected for FESPACO's official competition, vying for the Golden Stallion of Yennenga (Best Film), and Sami Outalbali received a nomination for Most Promising Actor at the César Awards.
Post-screening reading and discussion hosted by Myriam Mouflih with We Wrote In Symbols editor Selma Dabbagh.
This screening is part of T A P E's Found in Translation, which is possible with the support of the BFI, awarding funds from the National Lottery in order to bring this project to more audiences across the UK.
About Found In Translation
T A P E presents a season of special screenings and events celebrating the incredible work of Isabel Sandoval, US-based Filipina filmmaker and actress, and Tunisian screenwriter-director Leyla Bouzid. They will be screening two of their recent films: Lingua Franca and A Tale of Love and Desire as part of 12 special events that will be presented in partnership with writers and poetry collectives in venues across the UK.
About Reclaim The Frame x International
Reclaim the Frame x International aims to support culturally diverse women and non-binary filmmakers from 5+ countries through the circulation of works, collaboration and a professional development programme. With the shared mission to increase gender diversity and inclusion in cinema, Birds Eye View (UK) and Regards de femmes: festival international de film de femmes (Tunisia) are part of a network that advocates and builds audiences for films by women and non-binary creatives. This project is funded by the British Council’s International Collaboration Grants, which are designed to support UK and overseas organisations to collaborate on international arts projects.
About the director
Tunisian director, Leyla Bouzid, studied French literature at the Sorbonne before studying filmmaking at La Fémis. In 2015, she directed Soubresauts (Mkhobbi Fi Kobba), her graduation film, in Tunisia a few months before the revolution. In 2013, she directed Zakaria in the South of France with non-professional actors. In 2015, her first feature film, As I Open My Eyes, was awarded at the Venice Film Festival before being selected by many international festivals. A Tale of Love and Desire is her second feature film and was released in France in September 2021.
