Sinopsis
Sam and Abeer are engaged but separated from each otherby the Syrian Civil War. While he seeks refuge in Lebanon, her family forces her to marry a richer man and move with him to Brussels. In the desperate pursuit of money and the needed paperwork to travel to Europe to rescue her, Sam accepts to have his back tattooed as a Schengen visa by one of the most controversial artists in the World. Turning his own body into a prestigious piece of art, Sam will however come to realize that his decision might actually mean anything but freedom.
Kaouther Ben Hania is a Tunisian film director and screenwriter. Born in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia, she studied cinema at the École des Arts et du Cinéma (EDAC) in Tunisia, and in Paris at La Fémis and at La Sorbonne. “Challat of Tunis” (2013), her first feature film, opened the ACID section at Cannes Film Festival. Her feature documentary “Zaineb Hates the Snow”, 2016, premiered in Locarno and won the Golden Tanit in Carthage Film Festival. “Beauty and the Dogs”, 2017, premiered at Cannes, Un Certain Regard. The film was selected in several festivals and distributed in more than 20 countries. “The Man Who Sold his Skin”, 2020, was premiered at Venice Orizzonti competition winning the Best Actor award. It received, the award for best Arabic film at El Gouna and was mominated for the Oscars. “Les filles d’Olfa” (“Four Daughters”), 2023, competed for the Palme d’Or at Cannes and won the Œil d'or for best documentary.
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania (Tunisia)
Genre: Fiction
Country of production: Tunisia/France/Germany/Belgium/Sweden
Year of production: 2020
Running time: 104’
Language: English/Arabic/French. OV with Spanish subtitles
Cast: Yahya Mahayni, Dea Liane, Monica Bellucci, Koen de Bouw, Darina Al Joundi, Christian Vadim
Production:
Screenwriter: Kaouther Ben Hania
Director of photography: Cristopher Anoon
Production companies: Tanit Films, Cinetele films, Twenty Twenty, Kwassa Films, Laika Film and Television, Metafora Media Production, Sunnyland Film as a member of A.R.T. Group, Film i Vast, VOO Be tv, Istiqlal Films.
International sales: BAC Films/ Spain: Surtsey Films
Festivals/Awards. Presented by Tunisia, nominated for the Best International Feature Film at the Academy Awards. Venice Bienale, selected for the Orizzonti Competion. Won the Best Actor Award. Won the Best Screenplay at the Stockholm International Film Festival.
