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EXILE to world premiere at Locarno Film Festival
15 July 2025
Following the success of his widely acclaimed film STREAMS, which had its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival, Tunisian filmmaker Mehdi Hmili returns to the same festival ( August 6th to the 16th) with his latest feature EXILE — a workplace drama thriller set to have its world premiere as part of the Fuori Concorso’s lineup.
A co-production between Tunisia, Luxembourg, France, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, EXILE follows Mohamed, a steel factory worker who survives a devastating explosion that leaves a slowly rusting piece of metal embedded in his head. Reassigned as a security guard and marginalized by the system, Mohamed embarks on a harrowing journey of revenge that unravels a deeper conspiracy — all while his physical condition deteriorates.
Produced by Moufida Fedhila under Yol Film House (Tunisia), in collaboration with Tarantula (Luxembourg) and Volte Film (France), EXILE features a stellar cast, including Ghanem Zrelli, Meriem Ben Mami, Mohamed Ghoulsi, Younes Farhi, Salim Baccar, and Mourad Gharsalli. The film’s cinematography is by Farouk Laridha, with editing by Roshen Al-Mizouri and an original score by Émilie Legrand.
MAD World handles the film’s worldwide sales, while MAD Distribution manages the film’s distribution across the Arab world.
The project received support from CNC Tunisia, CNC France, the Luxembourg Film Fund, AFAC, the Doha Film Institute, the Francophone Image Fund, and La Fabrique Cinéma at Cannes. It also garnered four prestigious awards from the CineGouna platform at the El Gouna Film Festival.
Mehdi Hmili is a Tunisian director, producer, and screenwriter who studied cinema in Tunisia before graduating from the Paris Film School. While in France, he directed his short trilogy about love and exile — X-MOMENT (2009), LI-LA (2011), and THE NIGHT OF BADR (2012).
His first feature-length film, THALA MON AMOUR, was selected for several worldwide film festivals like the Torino and Carthage film festivals and won several prizes. And his last outing, STREAMS — which he directed and co-produced — premiered at the 74th Locarno Film Festival, where it received widespread critical acclaim before going on to win Best Director at Malmö, Best Actor at Cairo, and the Jury Prize at Kolkata, among others.
Mehdi Hmili is considered a key figure in the emerging generation of Tunisian filmmakers and producers. He plays a vital role in shaping the current Tunisian cinema landscape by supporting and promoting local talent through his company Yol Film House. He is also an alumnus of the Film Independent Global Media Makers and Torino Film Lab programs.
A co-production between Tunisia, Luxembourg, France, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, EXILE follows Mohamed, a steel factory worker who survives a devastating explosion that leaves a slowly rusting piece of metal embedded in his head. Reassigned as a security guard and marginalized by the system, Mohamed embarks on a harrowing journey of revenge that unravels a deeper conspiracy — all while his physical condition deteriorates.
Produced by Moufida Fedhila under Yol Film House (Tunisia), in collaboration with Tarantula (Luxembourg) and Volte Film (France), EXILE features a stellar cast, including Ghanem Zrelli, Meriem Ben Mami, Mohamed Ghoulsi, Younes Farhi, Salim Baccar, and Mourad Gharsalli. The film’s cinematography is by Farouk Laridha, with editing by Roshen Al-Mizouri and an original score by Émilie Legrand.
MAD World handles the film’s worldwide sales, while MAD Distribution manages the film’s distribution across the Arab world.
The project received support from CNC Tunisia, CNC France, the Luxembourg Film Fund, AFAC, the Doha Film Institute, the Francophone Image Fund, and La Fabrique Cinéma at Cannes. It also garnered four prestigious awards from the CineGouna platform at the El Gouna Film Festival.
Mehdi Hmili is a Tunisian director, producer, and screenwriter who studied cinema in Tunisia before graduating from the Paris Film School. While in France, he directed his short trilogy about love and exile — X-MOMENT (2009), LI-LA (2011), and THE NIGHT OF BADR (2012).
His first feature-length film, THALA MON AMOUR, was selected for several worldwide film festivals like the Torino and Carthage film festivals and won several prizes. And his last outing, STREAMS — which he directed and co-produced — premiered at the 74th Locarno Film Festival, where it received widespread critical acclaim before going on to win Best Director at Malmö, Best Actor at Cairo, and the Jury Prize at Kolkata, among others.
Mehdi Hmili is considered a key figure in the emerging generation of Tunisian filmmakers and producers. He plays a vital role in shaping the current Tunisian cinema landscape by supporting and promoting local talent through his company Yol Film House. He is also an alumnus of the Film Independent Global Media Makers and Torino Film Lab programs.
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