Photo: Instagram.com/jcctunisieofficial
The Tunisian Ministry of Cultural Affairs has canceled the 34th edition of the prominent Carthage Film Festival or Carthage Film Days, as it is otherwise known. The festival, which was set to run from October 28 to November 4 in Tunis, is among the most prestigious events in the cultural calendar of the country and serves as an important platform for filmmakers from across the region.
Since its inception in 1966, the Carthage Film Festival has been paramount in promoting the regional film industry considering that it only accepts entries from Arab or African directors. This year, the event was paying tribute to all Tunisian female filmmakers with the official poster featuring Haydée Tamzali – daughter of Tunisian cinema pioneer Samama Chikly, and the first actress, screenwriter, and editor in Tunisia and the Arab world. Tamzali also serves as a symbol of the birth of the local film industry as the festival marks a century of Tunisian cinema.
This cancellation comes in the wake of a slew of Middle Eastern and North African film festivals being postponed or canceled due to the current situation in the region. In the last 48 hours, the Carthage Film Festival is the fourth event making such an announcement – after Cairo, Al Gouna, and Qatar’s Ajyal. According to a statement from the ministry, the move to cancel the festival in Tunis has been made “in solidarity with our Palestinian brothers.”
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