In 2010, we set at home in Harlem watching the Jasmine Revolution televised in Tunis, we may have anticipated some of the possible stories to come out of the of the Arab Spring – As I Open My Eyes is one of those stories.
Tradition butts up against progress in Leyla Bouzid’s debut feature As I Open My Eyes, a musically charged French-Tunisian film that follows a young woman in a band as she navigates familial, cultural, and social ideals in the build up to the Jasmine Revolution in Tunis.
For Farah (Baya Medhaffar), the heart of the film, music transcends cultures and languages, and the lengthy musical interludes demonstrate a kind of escapism from the politics unfolding around her. A powerful coming of age tale set on the eve of the Arab Spring, As I Open My Eyes brings the audience into an intoxicating world, all the more relevant in our unsettled times.
The is the winner of the Venice International Film Festival (BNL People’s Choice Award, Europa Cinemas Label Award -Venice Days), Dubai International Film Festival (Winner Best Fiction Film), and official selection of the Toronto International Film Festival and the Tribeca Film Festival.
Director of the film is Leyla Bouzid, starring Marwen Soltana, Youssef Soltana,
Deena Abdelwahed, Lassaad Jamoussi, Aymen Omrani, Montassar Ayari, Ghalia Benali, and Baya Medhaffar .
The film opens nationally in October 2016.
Via Kino Films
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