Nouri Bouzid

Nouri Bouzid

Biography

Nouri Bouzid was born in 1945 in the southern Tunisian city of Sfax. From 1968 until 1972 he completed a degree in film studies at INSAS (Institut National Superieur des Arts du Spectacle) in Brussels, for which he made the short film "Duel" as his graduation project. Back in Tunisia, he worked as a trainee at the state television station RTT. Due to his opposing political views, he spent five years in prison. After his release, he worked as an assistant director for various international productions, including one film with Steven Spielberg. "L`homme de cendres" (Man of Ashes) became Nouri Bouzid’s first feature film in 1986. As his film dealt with the taboo subject of homosexuality, it was difficult to be able to screen the film in Tunisia. In "Les sabots en or" (Golden Horseshoes, 1989) his experiences in prison were brought to the big screen. "Bezness" followed in 1992, which tells the story of a gigolo who offers his services to foreign sex tourists. This film only made it onto Tunisian cinema screens thanks to its great international success. In "Poupees d`argile" (Clay Dolls, 2002), Nouri Bouzid looks at the depressing situation faced by women in his country, as they move from the countryside to cities to be exploited as domestic assistants. His most recent film "Making Of" from 2006 is a brave statement against terrorism and a critique on the social circumstances that lead young people into becoming suicide bombers.
Nouri Bouzid has also made a name for himself as a scriptwriter. He has written scripts for a number of films, such as "Halfaouine - L’enfant des terrasses" (Ferid Boughedir, 1990), "Le Sultan de la Medina" (Moncef Dhouib, 1992), "Les Silences Du Palais" (Moufida Tlatli, 1994) and "La saison des hommes" (Moufida Tlatli, 2001). In addition to this, the multi-talented Tunisian director has published several collections of his poems and has also written the lyrics for many of the songs that feature in his films.

When Nouri Bouzid was awarded with the Tunisian film prize in 1998, on the country‘s national day of culture, finally gaining recognition in his homeland, he had long been considered to be among the most important filmmakers in North Africa. He currently lives in Tunis and teaches at a range of establishments, including the film school that he himself founded, the EDAC (Ecoles des Arts et du Cinéma).

Filmography

Manmoutech (2012): Direction

Making Of (2006): Screenplay, Direction