Mehdi M. Barsaoui’s “Aïcha” has been acquired by several distributors ahead of its world premiere in the Horizons section of the Venice Film Festival. The Party Film Sales is handling international sales. Variety debuts its trailer here.
Distributors attached include:
Cineart for Benelux
La Aventura Audiovisual for Spain
Discovery for former Yugoslavia
Jour2fête for France
I Wonder for Italy
Hakka Distribution for Tunisia
Cinewaves has taken theatrical rights for Middle East and North Africa, and Sunnyland Film, a member of A.R.T. Group, has taken digital sales rights for Middle East and North Africa.
The film follows Aya, a woman in her late twenties who feels trapped in her life with her parents in southern Tunisia, seeing no prospects for change. One day, the minivan she commutes in daily crashes, leaving her as the sole survivor. Realizing this could be her chance for a fresh start, she flees to Tunis under a new identity, but everything is soon jeopardized when she becomes the main witness to a police blunder.
In a statement, the director says: “The film delves into the lives of Tunisian youth, whose dreams are too often denied. It is also a film about new beginnings and second chances and the multifaceted pressures on Tunisian society, particularly on women. ‘Aïcha’ portrays a quest for freedom and the desire to live life to the fullest—a paradox where true freedom for the protagonist can only be attained through her death.”
The cast is led by Fatma Sfar, Nidhal Saadi, Yasmine Dimassi and Hela Ayed. The producers are Habib Attia for Cinetelefilms, and Marc Irmer for Dolce Vita Films. The co-producers are Chantal Fischer, Flaminio Zadra, Antoine Khalife and Faisal Baltyuor.
Barsaoui’s first feature film “A Son” had its world premiere in the Horizons section of the Venice Film Festival in 2019, where it received the best actor award for Sami Bouajila. It was distributed in 20 countries and became the first Tunisian film to win a César award.
“Aïcha” is his second feature film.
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