A Tale of Love and Desire

Director: Leyla Bouzid
Rights:
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Selected at Cannes Critics’ Week for its world premiere
Screened at over 30 festivals in nearly 20 countries, winning four awards
Commercially released in Egypt, Morocco, Mauritania, Tunisia, and the UAE
The film is available on Netflix
Winner of two prestigious awards at the Angoulême Film Festival
Helmed by Leyla Bouzid, who is known for her award-winning films
Received support from the Centre National du Cinéma et de L'Image Animée
Challenges the clichés of Arab culture
The film was featured in the official competition of the Carthage Film Festival in Tunisia and was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival
A Tale of Love and Desire Poster
2021/ France - Tunisia - Algeria103 min/ Drama
Original Title
Une Histoire D'amour Et De Desir
Available on:
SYNOPSIS
Ahmed — a French teenager of Algerian origin — meets Farah, a young Tunisian girl, and falls head over heels in love with her.
After discovering a collection of sensual and erotic Arab literature, Ahmed tries to resist his desire for Farah.
CAST
Sami Outalbali
Zbeida Belhajamor
Samir Elhakim
Diong-Kéba Tacu
Aurélia Petit

CREW

Screenwriter: Laila Bouzaid
DOP: Sébastien Goepfert
Editor: Lilian Corbeille

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Production Company(ies)
Blue Monday Productions
Pyramide International
Producer(s)

Sandra da Fonseca

film festivals
Cannes Film Festival - International Critics' Week, France
Toronto International Film Festival, Canada
Angoulême Film Festival, France
Zurich Film Festival, Switzerland
BFI London Film Festival, UK
Busan International Film Festival, South Korea
Sydney Film Festival, Australia
Thessaloniki International Film Festival, Greece
Cinemania Film Festival, Canada
Miami Film Festival Gems, US
MedFilm Festival, Italy
Cairo International Film Festival, Egypt
Carthage Film Festival, Tunisia
Valladolid International Film Festival, Spain
César Awards, France
Göteborg Film Festival, Sweden
Lumiere Awards, France
Tuebingen French Film Festival, Germany
Filmfest Hamburg, Germany
Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Schlingel Youth Film Festival, Germany
Colcoa French Film Festival, US
Festival Varilux de Cinema Français, Brazil
Festival Film Franco Arab, UAE
Vancouver International Film Festival, Canada
Semana del Cine de Peru, Peru
Panama International Film Festival, US
Philadelphia International Film Festival, US
French Film Festival, UK
Kerala International Film Festival, India
Seattle International Film Festival, US
Fest-New Directors/ New Films, Portugal
Cleveland International Film Festival, US
Arabisk Film Festival, Norway
Rendez- Vous with French Cinema
Rome Med Film Festival, Rome
film awards
Valois de Diamant du Meilleur Film at the Angoulême Film Festival
Prix d’Interprétation Masculine at the Angoulême Film Festival
Special Jury Prize for Best first and second Feature at the MedFilm Festival
Bronze Award at Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou
Honorable Mention at the Redez-Vous with French Cinema
Best First and Second Work at the Rome Med Film Festival
Best Film at the Rome Med Film Festival
Quotes
“It’s an edifying and introspective film, with something valuable to say about embracing our most carnal impulses without shame.”
Lovia Gyarkye — The Hollywood Reporter

“Warm, passionate, and sexy in a well-read kind of way.”
Lee Marshall — Screen Daily

“Carried by a duo of actors who are very well cast and full of character, the film hides under its appearances as a classical coming-of-age story, a great originality, and several levels of social readings, at the intersection of instinct and reflection, repression and liberation.”
Fabien Lemercier — Cineuropa

"A Tale of Love and Desire is a film that celebrates the joy and fears associated with youthful lust, while exploring the internal cultural conflict, without making it feel tacky or like a diatribe.”
Amber Wilkinson — Eye for Film

“[The movie] not only excels at what it sets out to do, but also leaves its audience rapt and aching for more.”
Sofia Andrade — The Harvard Crimson

“For all of the film’s modernity, it’s also a reminder that love and desire are timeless struggles in stories; Bouzid is merely telling the twenty-first century version of them.”
Alex Heeney — Seventh Row

“Leyla Bouzid's tour de force is her authentic portrayal of the many meanings of being Arab in France.”
Valentine Fabre — Bust Magazine

“A sensitive and contemplative romance that combines intellect and simmering passion.”
Katie Smith — Flick Feast

“We tend to see quite a few of those awkward first fumblings, those early embarrassments, those clumsy hormonal attempts at seduction. But rarely are they outlined with the same sincerity and sweetness as in Leyla Bouzid’s tactile, unashamedly tender A Tale of Love and Desire.”
Jessica Kiang — Variety