Leyla Bouzid

Leyla Bouzid
Born1984 (age 41–42)
Tunis
Occupationsscreenwriter and film director
Notable workA Tale of Love and Desire
FatherNouri Bouzid

Leyla Bouzid (born 1984 in Tunis), is a Tunisian screenwriter and film director.

Early life and education

Born in Tunis in 1984, Bouzid is the daughter of the director Nouri Bouzid. She grew up in Tunisia, spending her adolescence in Tunis. After her baccalaureate, she moved to Paris to study literature at the Sorbonne. After achieving a first short film, Bonjour (Sbah el khir el), she completed her studies at La Fémis.[1][2]

Bouzid short film Twitching was her graduation film for La Fémis; it was shot in Tunisia.

In 2012, Twitching screened in a competition at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, where it was well received. It also won the Grand Jury Prize of student films at the Festival Premiers Plans d'Angers.[1]

Career

In 2013, Zakaria was Bouzid's first produced short film.

In 2015, her feature film, As I Open My Eyes, was selected for several festivals. It won acclaim at events like the Venice Film Festival, the Carthage Film Festival, the International Festival of Young Filmmakers of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, the Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur, and the International Film Festival of Dubai.[3][4][5]

As I Open My Eyes investigates the modern Tunisian identity through focusing on a young woman's personal relationships during the political instability in the months before the Tunisian Revolution. The film marries the private life of a young Tunisian woman with the story of her nation at the cusp of fundamental change; "the young female body of Farah, with her voice and gaze, plays a pivotal role in how the movie is intensely meandering between the political and the nonpolitical."[6]

Filmography

Year Title Director Writer
2006 Bonjour (Sbah el khir) Yes Yes
2012 Offrande No Yes
2013 As I Open My Eyes Yes Yes
2021 A Tale of Love and Desire Yes Yes
2026 In a Whisper Yes Yes

Short film

Year Title Director Writer
2010 Un Ange passe Yes Yes
2011 Mkhobbi Fi Kobba (Soubresauts; Shudders) Yes Yes
2013 Zakaria Yes Yes

Awards and nominations

Awards

  • 2010: Prix cininter – Un Ange passe – Festival du 1er court métrage de Pontault-Combault
  • 2010: Prix des femmes de Fersnes – Un Ange passe – Festival international de films de femmes de Créteil
  • 2012: Grand Prix – Soubresauts – Festival Premiers Plans d’Angers
  • 2012: Grand prix du jury – Soubresauts – Festival du Cinéma Méditerranéen de Tétouan
  • 2012: Birds Eye View Award – Soubresauts – Birds Eye View Film Festival, London
  • 2012: Prix Ismu – Soubresauts – Festival del Cinema Africano, d’Asia e America Latina von Mailand
  • 2012: Best Short Film – Soubresauts – Verona International Film Festival
  • 2014: TIFF Award – Zakaria – Tangier International Film Festival
  • 2014: Prix à la qualité – Zakaria – Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée
  • 2014: Prix des Lycéens – Zakaria – Festival del Cinema Africano, d’Asia e America Latina von Mailand
  • 2015: Etalon de bronze – ZakariaFESPACO
  • 2015: Thomas Sankara Award – Zakaria – FESPACO
  • 2015: Royal Air Morocco Ibn Battuta Award – Zakaria – FESPACO
  • 2015: Tanit de bronze – Kaum öffne ich die Augen – Carthage Film Festival
  • 2015: TV5 Monde Award – Kaum öffne ich die Augen – Carthage Film Festival
  • 2015: FIPRESCI AwardKaum öffne ich die AugenCarthage Film Festival
  • 2015: Bayard d’or – Kaum öffne ich die Augen – Festival international du film francophone de Namur
  • 2015: „Mention spécial“ der Jury UGTT – Kaum öffne ich die AugenCarthage Film Festival
  • 2015: Bester Nachwuchsfilm – Kaum öffne ich die Augen – Französische Filmtage Tübingen-Stuttgart
  • 2015: Europa Cinemas Label Award – Kaum öffne ich die Augen2015 Venice Film Festival
  • 2015: Muhr Award – Kaum öffne ich die AugenDubai International Film Festival
  • 2016: Kering Foundation „Women in Motion Young Talent Award“ – 2016 Cannes Film Festival
  • 2016: Bester Film – Kaum öffne ich die AugenEast End Film Festival (EEFF) in London
  • 2016: Sir Peter Ustinov Preis – Kaum öffne ich die Augen – LUCAS Film Festival
  • 2016: Chevalier de l’Ordre de la République
  • 2017: Bestes Drehbuch – Vent du Nord – geteilt mit Claude Le Pape und Walid MattarCarthage Film Festival

Nominations

References

  1. ^ a b Africultures
  2. ^ B.L. 2012.
  3. ^ Smati 2015, Huffington Post.
  4. ^ Diao 2015, Le Monde.
  5. ^ Djian 2015, L'Express.
  6. ^ Alena, Strohmaier (2019). "Tunisians in motion: Performing and narrating the (non-)political in Leyla Bouzid's As I Open My Eyes". Journal of African Cinemas. 11 (2). Intellect: 141–154. doi:10.1386/jac_00012_1.
  7. ^ "In a Whisper". berlinale.de. Retrieved 2026-02-09.

Sources

Bibliography