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Kaouther Ben Hania

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Kaouther Ben Hania
Born1977
Sidi Bouzid
NationalityTunisian
CitizenshipTunisian
Alma materEcole des Arts et du Cinéma, La Fémis
Occupations
  • Script writer
  • Screen Director
Known for

Kaouther Ben Hania also written Kaouther Ben Henia or Kaouther Benhenia (Arabic: كوثر بن هنية; born 1977) is a Tunisian film director.[1] Her 2017 film Beauty and the Dogs was selected as the Tunisian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards.[2][3][4] Her 2020 film The Man Who Sold His Skin was nominated for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards.[5] Her 2024 film Four Daughters was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at 96th Academy Awards.[6][7][8]

Biography

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Kaouther Ben Hania was born in Sidi Bouzid. She studied at the Ecole des Arts et du Cinéma (EDAC) in Tunisia, then studied at La Fémis and the Sorbonne in Paris.[9]

She studied from 2002 to 2004 at the Tunis School of Arts and Cinema. During this training she directed several short films, one of which, La Breche, was noticed. In 2003, she also participated in a feature film writing workshop funded by Euromed. In 2004, she continued her training at La Fémis, first at the summer university and then in 2004-2005.[10]

In 2006, she directed another short film, Moi, ma sœur et la chose, inspired by the short story Le Jeune homme and l’enfant et la question by Mohsen Ben Hania. She then worked for Al Jazeera Documentary Channel until 2007.[10]

Then she directed several feature films, distinguished in various festivals, while resuming her studies in 2007-2008 at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University. The first of these three feature films is Le Challat de Tunis, released in 2014, a social satire with an ironic tone, while addressing, like the following works, the relationships between women and men. In 2017, her feature film La Belle et la Meute was selected in the Un Certain Regard category at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival and received a standing ovation during its screening.[11][12][13]

Kaouther Ben Hania at JCC 2018

In 2018, La Belle et la Meute was nominated for the Lumière Award for Best Francophone Film.[14] In the same year, this film was selected by the National Center for Cinema and Image to represent Tunisia at the 2019 Oscars in the Best Foreign Language Film category.[15]However, it was not among the final nominations. The film L’Homme qui a vendu sa peau was nominated in 2021, making it the first Tunisian film to be selected for the Oscars.[16]

In 2023, her new film Les Filles d’Olfa was selected for the official competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It won the César Award for Best Documentary Film at the 2024 ceremony.[17]

Filmography

[edit]
Year Title Writer Director Notes Ref.
2004 La Brèche (The Breach) Yes Yes short [18]
2006 Me, My Sister and the Thing Yes Yes short [18]
2010 Les imams vont à l’école (Imams Go to School) Yes Yes [19]
2013 Yed Ellouh (Wooden Hand) Yes Yes [20]
2013 Glue Skin Yes [10]
2013 Le Challat de Tunis (Challat of Tunis) Yes Yes [21]
2016 Zaineb Takrahou Ethelj (Zaineb Hates the Snow) Yes Yes [22]
2017 Beauty and the Dogs Yes Yes [2]
2018 Les Pastèques du Cheikh (Sheikh's Watermelons) Yes Yes short [23]
2020 The Man Who Sold His Skin Yes Yes [24]
2021 I and The Stupid Boy (14 minutes, 22nd in the Women's Tales series ) Yes short
2023 Four Daughters Yes Yes [25]

As an actress

[edit]

Distinctions

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Decoration

[edit]

Knight of the National Order of Merit (Tunisia, 2016)[28]

Awards

[edit]
  • Rencontres Films Femmes Méditerranée de Marseille 2013: Audience Award for Peau de colle[10]
  • Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur 2014: Bayard d’Or for Best First Work (Émile Cantillon Award) for Le Challat de Tunis
  • Festival International du Film de Femmes de Salé 2014: Special Mention for Le Challat de Tunis
  • Journées Cinématographiques de Carthage 2016: Tanit d’Or for Zaineb n’aime pas la neige[29]
  • Cannes Film Festival 2017: Best Sound Creation Award (initiated by La Semaine du Son and awarded for the first time) in the Un Certain Regard selection for La Belle et la Meute[30]
  • Festival du Cinéma Méditerranéen de Bruxelles 2017: Special Jury Prize for La Belle et la Meute[31]
  • Stockholm International Film Festival 2020: Best Screenplay for L’Homme qui a vendu sa peau[32]
  • Cannes Film Festival 2023: Citizenship Award, L’Œil d’Or (ex aequo), and Positive Cinema Award for Les Filles d’Olfa[33]
  • César Awards 2024: Best Documentary for Les Filles d’Olfa[34]

Nominations and Selections

[edit]
  • Cannes Film Festival 2017: In competition in the Un Certain Regard selection for La Belle et la Meute
  • Lumières Awards 2018: Best Francophone Film for La Belle et la Meute
  • Oscars 2019: Preselection to represent Tunisia for Best Foreign Language Film for La Belle et la Meute
  • Oscars 2021: Selection to represent Tunisia for Best Foreign Language Film for L’Homme qui a vendu sa peau
  • Magritte Awards 2022: Best Foreign Film in Coproduction for L’Homme qui a vendu sa peau
  • Cannes Film Festival 2023: Official selection, in competition for the Palme d’Or for Les Filles d’Olfa[17]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "The filmmaker and scriptwriter Kaouther Ben Hania joins the international jury". Clermont Film Festival. Archived from the original on July 17, 2023. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Cannes: Tunisian Director Kaouther Ben Hania on Her First Feature Film 'Beauty and the Dogs'". Variety Magazine. May 25, 2018. Archived from the original on May 28, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  3. ^ Neila, Driss (16 September 2018). "Oscars 2019 – Le film «La belle et la meute» de Kaouther Ben Hania représentera la Tunisie à la présélection". Tunis Webdo. Archived from the original on 16 September 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  4. ^ Kozlov, Vladimir (19 September 2018). "Oscars: Tunisia Selects 'Beauty and the Dogs' for Foreign-Language Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 7 October 2020. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  5. ^ "Kaouther Ben Hania, historic Oscar nomination for Tunisia - Culture". ANSAMed. March 16, 2021. Archived from the original on May 6, 2021. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  6. ^ Mullally, William (January 23, 2024). "Kaouther Ben Hania makes history as first Arab woman with two Oscar nominations". The National. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  7. ^ "Oscars: Kaouther Ben Hania, 'Four Daughters' director gets second nomination". Retrieved 2024-09-30.
  8. ^ "Oscar-Nominated 'Four Daughters' Wins Best Documentary At César Awards; Director Kaouther Ben Hania Speaks Out Against "Massacre" Of Gaza's Children". Deadline.
  9. ^ "Ben Hania, Kaouther | African Film Festival, Inc". Retrieved 2024-09-30.
  10. ^ a b c d "«Peau de colle» de Kaouther Ben Hania, au programme". Le Temps. October 31, 2014. Archived from the original on May 20, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  11. ^ "Cannes : première mondiale pour "La Belle et la Meute"". Le Point (in French). 2017-05-19. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
  12. ^ "« La Belle et la meute » : un film tunisien secoue le Festival de Cannes - Jeune Afrique.com". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 2024-09-30.
  13. ^ "Cannes 2017 : "La Belle et la meute" de Kaouther Ben Hania, thriller âpre et féministe". www.telerama.fr (in French). 2017-05-19. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
  14. ^ ""La belle et la meute" en lice pour le prix de l'Académie des Lumières du meilleur film francophone". Al Huffington Post (in French). 2018-01-10. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
  15. ^ ""La Belle et la meute" présélectionné par la Tunisie dans la course à l'Oscar du meilleur film étranger 2019". 2018-09-17. Archived from the original on 2018-09-17. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
  16. ^ "« L'Homme qui a vendu sa peau », premier film tunisien jamais sélectionné aux Oscars" (in French). 2021-03-16. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
  17. ^ a b "Dans le sillage de la cinéaste Kaouther Ben Hania, une si fragile nouvelle vague tunisienne" (in French). 2023-05-19. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
  18. ^ a b "Kaouther BEN HANIA". Festival de Cannes. Archived from the original on 2024-01-23. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
  19. ^ "Imams Go To School". ScreenDaily. Archived from the original on 2024-01-25. Retrieved 2021-04-05.
  20. ^ "2014 NY African Film Festival Begins Today, Runs (May 7 – May 13)". May 7, 2014.[permanent dead link]
  21. ^ "'Challat of Tunis': Cannes Review". The Hollywood Reporter. May 15, 2014. Archived from the original on May 9, 2016. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  22. ^ Goodfellow2016-11-07T11:03:00+00:00, Melanie. "'Zaineb Hates The Snow' triumphs at Carthage Film Festival". Screen. Archived from the original on 2018-06-29. Retrieved 2021-04-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  23. ^ Shackleton2018-09-29T12:36:00+01:00, Liz. "'A Land Imagined' takes top award at El Gouna Film Festival". Screen. Archived from the original on 2020-05-09. Retrieved 2021-04-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  24. ^ Ward, Sarah (6 September 2020). "'The Man Who Sold His Skin': Venice Review". Screen Daily. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  25. ^ ""Les filles d'Olfa" de Kaouther Ben Hania au Festival de Cannes" [“Olfa’s Daughters” by Kaouther Ben Hania at the Cannes Film Festival]. mosaiquefm.net (in French). 13 April 2023. Archived from the original on 13 April 2023. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  26. ^ "Cannes Film Review: 'Challat of Tunis'". Variety. 2014-06-02. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
  27. ^ "'Challat of Tunis': Cannes Review". The Hollywood Reporter. 2014-05-15. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
  28. ^ "Journal officiel de la République tunisienne" (PDF). November 18, 2016.
  29. ^ ""Zaineb n'aime pas la neige" de Kaouther Ben Hania décroche le Tanit d'or au Festival de Carthage". Franceinfo (in French). 2016-11-06. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
  30. ^ "Festival de Cannes - La Belle et la Meute remporte le Prix de la meilleure création sonore". Webdo TN (in French). Retrieved 2024-09-30.
  31. ^ ""La belle et la meute" primé "Prix Spécial du Jury" au Festival Cinéma Méditerranéen de Bruxelles". 2018-02-10. Archived from the original on 2018-02-10. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
  32. ^ "'Berlin Alexanderplatz' wins two awards at Stockholm Film Festival". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
  33. ^ "'Berlin Alexanderplatz' wins two awards at Stockholm Film Festival | News | Screen". 2020-11-26. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved 2024-09-30.
  34. ^ "Kaouther Ben Hania obtient le César du meilleur film documentaire pour "Les filles d'Olfa"". businessnews.com. February 23, 2024.
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