Completed - ARABIC - Documentary - 90 minutes
A moped rider, razor blade in hand, prowls the streets of Tunis slashing the most beautiful buttocks of women walking the streets. His name: Challat. A young woman Tunisian director seeks him out to know what is hidden behind.
Year of production : 2013 Director(s) : Kaouther BEN HANIA Producer(s) : Habib ATTIA (CinéTéléFilms), Julie PARATIAN (Sister Productions)
Tunisia, before the revolution. A man on a motorbike, razor blade in hand, prowls the streets of Tunis slashing women’s buttocks. They call him Challat, aka “The Blade”, and the mere mention of his name provokes fascination and terror. Is he a lone criminal, a simple urban legend, or is this the work of a political group or religious fanatics?10 years later, in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, a stubborn young female director sets out on an investigation to unravel the mystery and find the true Challat of Tunis…From one neighborhood to another, from one cafe to another, the most unlikely stories circulate about him. Challat has become a mysterious figure fueling both passions and tensions. A myth surrounded by a halo of fascination, fantasy and terror. Everyone is talking about him but no one has ever seen him.Ten years later, after the revolution, when the truth seems within reach, a stubborn director sets out to track him down, determined to clear up the mystery at any cost. With irony THE CHALLAT OF TUNIS recounts the intrigues behind a story that has become an urban legend and portrays a Tunisian society in turmoil, where men are struggling to find their place and the female body is still a political issue.
Country(ies) : TUNISIA, FRANCE Financing plan : - Co-Producers: Sister Productions (France), CinéTéléFilms (Tunisie), SixISLAND (Canada) - Lauréat de l'aide à la production Arab Fund for Arts and Culture - Sundance Film Institute - Lauréat de l'Atelier EAVE / Dubai 2009 - PROCIREP - aide au développement - Doha Film Institute (production) - CNC, fonds Sud -
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