New Tunisian film on the life of reformer Tahar Haddad
2007-09-27
At a recent press conference, Tunisian director Fadhel Jaziri announced he would begin shooting a film on the lives of influential Tunisians in the 1930s, with a focus on reformer Tahar Haddad.
By Nidal Abrouk for Magharebia in Tunis – 27/09/2007
 [Nidal Abrouk Fadhel Jaziri is known for numerous theatrical and cinematic works |
Tunisian theatre and cinematic director Fadhel Jaziri announced his plans to shoot a film titled "The Thirties" at a press conference on September 10th. The film will shed light on several Tunisian political and cultural figures that lived during the decade, particularly reformer Tahar Haddad.
Haddad is best known for producing a book considered revolutionary in 1930, entitled "Our Women in Sharia and Society". It is one of the period's most significant books and it pushed for women’s rights and social reform. Haddad's most well-known ideas linked society’s progress with women’s progress and liberation.
Jaziri said that given the profusion of political, social and cultural events Tunisia experienced in the thirties, he took three years to research the period's tumultuous events and select the characters and stories he would portray.
Although Jaziri said the film's focus is on "the journey of reformer Tahar Haddad, who confronted Salafist thought and colonialism," but his movie will also examine figures such as Abi El-Qasim Al-Shabi and Mohammed Ali Hammi others. "I want to get to know Tunisian figures who did not find prosperity in history," said Jaziri, adding that he was interested in the private lives of these historic personalities.
Tunisian writer Arousia Nalouti, who took part in writing the screenplay, noted the difficulty of working on stories about the public and private lives of such eminent personalities in Tunisia's reformist movement.
The director's son, Ali Jaziri, who plays Haddad in the film, said his father chose the reformer to be the film's central character "because he has many points of similarity with Haddad."
"There is also an aspect which is a reaction to the wave of extremism marring the world, but this is not the main reason, because my father began the screenwriting more than 10 years ago."
With a budget exceeding 2 million dinars, "The Thirties" is among the most expensive films in the history of Tunisian cinema. Ali told Magharebia that in the beginning his father encountered difficulty securing material support. But in time the Ministry of Culture, the Tunisian Electricity and Gas Company and international producer Tariq Ben Amar provided assistance. Ben Amar committed to insuring the post-production process in his private studio and Tunisian and Algerian television agreed to broadcast the film.
Fadhel Jaziri is known for numerous theatrical and cinematic works, including "Ghasalat El-Nawader", "Arab" and "El-Hadra". "The Thirties" will be filmed in Arabic and French and will be the first Tunisian film to use a 35mm lens throughout production.
Jaziri said plans to complete "The Thirties" in time to take part in the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.
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صالح حمودة Posted 2007-10-06
"Talathoune" (Thirty) by Fadel Al Jaziri Events telling the story of repression against its characters. Portrays oppression and exclusion of the creative artist. Professional actors in Tunisia are suffering exclusion and denied the right to practice in their natural space (stage, cinema and TV). Instead it is given to a bunch of opportunists who abuse this great art of acting quickly and accidentally, a path they have never planned due to the fragile, neglected and chaotic nature of the sector. They were given the platform by some of our art and drama icons as an opportunity to the detriment of professional artists for reasons only disclosed by events in the backstage of Talatoune by director and producer Fadil Al Jaziri. This makes us ask important questions which require urgent solutions. Production of the film lasted three months on a daily basis without any compensation, while offering actors a chance to get a role. The director confirmed such importance, saying in order to "stick their necks out" and that shooting the film wouldn't last over seventeen days with minimum shooting. He kept on repeating these promises whenever the will of the team was waning under inadequate conditions (rehearsals lasted for 3 additional months divided in teams or one session per actor). Fadel Al Jaziri knew in advance the distribution of roles, and used the group to get ideas, trial or rehearsal on these scenes which usually required a bigger number of artists such as the scene of "Jallaz Process" or party meeting such as “Al Haririya Hotel”, “Birth Gathering” or “Tahor, the birds peer” festivities. During the entire period we were serving two characters mainly the role played by Al Jaziri, Jr “Tahar Haddad”. This person is not even remotely related to the world of acting but is simply Al Jaziri’s gift to the cultural scene as he stated to the media. Al Jaziri avoided to talk about role distribution or on the script citing fear from third parties interference with the launch of a national art project. I think that after informing the director during 6 months of that problem, it is no more than [Unintelligible]
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