As I Open My Eyes

A peine j’ouvre les yeux

In Tunis in the summer of 2010, a few months before the revolution, 18-year-old Farah is taking her end-ofschool exams and her family is already picturing her as a doctor. But she doesn’t see things the same way. She sings in a protest rock group. She’s restless, gets drunk and discovers both love and her town at night, against the wishes of her mother, who knows Tunisia and what is forbidden there. Things turn sour for Farah when the group starts performing in the capital’s cafes and she gives free rein to her thirst for freedom and her desire to live life to the fullest. Farah is determined to spread the subversive message of Borhene, her boyfriend and leader of the group, and, by extension, the hopes of a generation.

Screening Schedule

No physical screenings scheduled.


Script: Leyla Bouzid, Marie-Sophie Chambon
Cinematography: Sebastien Goepfert
Editing: Lilian Corbeille
Sound: Raouf Heloui
Music: Khyam Allami
Actors: Baya Medhaffar, Ghalia Benali, Montassar Ayari, Aymen Omrani, Lassaad Jamoussi
Production: Blue Monday Productions, Propaganda Production
Producers: Sandra da Fonseca, Imed Marzouk
Co-production: Helicotronic
Production Design: Raouf Heloui
Color: Color
Production Country: France-Tunisia-Belgium-UAE
Production Year: 2015
Duration: 102'
Distribution in Greece: One From the Heart

Leyla Bouzid

Leyla Bouzid was born in 1984 in Tunisia and grew up in Tunis. In 2003, she went to Paris to study French literature at the Sorbonne, and then joined La Fémis’ Directing department. After several award winning short films, Leyla directed in 2015 her first feature film, As I Open My Eyes (A peine j’ouvre les yeux). The film was presented at the 72nd Venice Film Festival, before winning more than forty international awards and achieving success during its simultaneous theatrical release in France and Tunisia. A Tale of Love and Desire is her second feature film.

Filmography

2010 Un Ange passe (short)
2013 Gamine (short)
2015 A peine j’ouvre les yeux | As I Open My Eyes
2021 Une Histoire d’amour et de désir | A Tale of Love and Desire