Benzine
2022 Arabic Music Days: Tunisian director Sarra Abidi’s debut feature is available for streaming
Documentary / Film 0Following two short films and a documentary, Tunisian director Sarra Abidi’s first feature Benzine premiered in 2017. It tells the heart-rending story of parents who have been left behind by their only son: since he moved to Italy nine months ago, they have not heard anything from or about him…
"I felt the strong need to write this story, to make this film, inspired by the region around Gabés, by the experiences of young Tunisian men since 2011 [the start of the Arab Spring], their determination to leave the country by whatever means. But I also wanted to refer to the phenomenon of petrol smuggling, which has increased significantly in the country since the events of 2011. And, of course, include these pictures of the parents, especially the mothers agonised by the loss of their sons. All these events influenced me. But I also had this personal vision, a cineastic view spurred by the landscape of my homeland, a very beautiful, very harsh landscape." (Sarra Abidi)
In Arabic with English subtitles
Arabic Music Days Online
Music, Visual Arts, Poetry and Film