Cinema
وغدا
Brahim Babai · 1971
Synopsis
In a Tunisian village, the water stops flowing during repairs to the network, and the cut drags on: peasants have to sell their land, young people lose their jobs. Three villagers leave for the city, where they look in vain for work; the youngest, Salem, rebels. In the village, a young woman who is taken for mad serves as a conscience to those who remain, and who watch the modern world on television without anything changing for them.
Context
Adapted from a novel by Abdelkader Ben Cheikh, the film is Babaï's first feature. Produced by Satpec, it was released in Tunisia on 6 October 1971 and runs about ninety minutes; Boujemâa Bouhada, Amor Khalfa, Mouna Noureddine and Samir Ayadi play the main roles. It deals with unemployment, the rural exodus and emigration, and the gap between town and country in independent Tunisia. In 1972 it was selected at Cannes and received a bronze medal at Karlovy Vary, a special mention and the international critics' prize at Dinard.
Who it is for
A Tunisian social drama in Arabic, accessible without prior knowledge of the country's agricultural or economic context.
Prizes and reception
Bronze Tanit at the Carthage Film Days in 1972, according to Africiné.