Weldi
Ajyal Competition
Mohamed Ben Attia / Feature Narrative / Tunisia, France, Belgium, Qatar / 2018 / 104 min / Colour / DCP
In Arabic / English subtitles
Interests: Drama, Social Issues
Gulf Premiere
Synopsis
A Tunisian couple are nearing retirement age, but times are hard, and money is tight. The life they share revolves around their only son Sami, who is preparing for his high school exams. The stress of school and questions of college are obviously getting to him, and the boy’s repeated migraine attacks are a cause of concern to his parents. Desperate, his father Riadh takes him to see a local psychiatrist, and this seems to bring Sami some mild relief. When things finally appear to be getting better, Sami suddenly disappears from the family apartment without warning, leaving only a note behind as a clue to where he might be gone.
Feeling a sense of guilt, Riadh goes on a tireless journey to locate his only child, but his fruitless search forces him to confront some harsh home truths of his own. A DFI granted film, 'Weldi' recently premiered at Cannes as part of their renowned Director's Fortnight programme and features a striking performance by Mohammed Dhrif, who won the Best Actor Award at this year's El Gouna Film Festival for the role.
About the Directors
Mohamed Ben Attia studied Audiovisual Communication at the University of Valenciennes in France after graduating from the Institut de Hautes Études Commerciales (IHEC) in Tunis in 1998. He has directed five short films. ‘Hedi’, his feature-film debut, had its world premiere at the 2016 Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Best First Film Award and the Silver Bear for Best Actor.
Credits
- Director
- Mohamed Ben Attia
- Screenwriter
- Mohamed Ben Attia
- Producer
- Dora Bouchoucha, Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne, Nadim Cheikhrouha
- Editor
- Nadia Ben Rachid
- Music
- Omar Aloulou
- Cinematographer
- Frederic Noirhomme
- Sales Company
- Luxbox
- Production Company
- Nomadis Images, Les Films du Fleuve
- Distributor
- MAD Solutions
- Cast
- Mohamed Dhrif, Mouna Mejri, Imen Cherif, Zakaria Ben Ayed