Mahmoud bin Mahmoud, who has established an imagined path towards issues of social justice and freedoms since the seventies of the last century since his first works Crossroads (1982), Sheikh Khan (1990), Suspects, Pomegranate Quotes, The Professor and Fatwa, in addition to the documentaries, he told us about film festivals, virtual venues and his new work.
Mahmoud bin Mahmoud believed that there were artificial and soulless celebrations that provided huge financial resources for them, but it was useless, except for the film festival in Carthage. He said: “The festival needs thrift to take root. is not the case with other festivals like the one recently held in Saudi Arabia. Tunisians, even those not interested in cinema, have somehow observed the Carthage Film Festival, which is an exclusive Tunisian event , that it differs from all other Arab festivals.He added: “The decisive stage in the history of Tunisia was the creation of a film festival in Carthage, as it was a festival without a beginning. There are other festivals that spend billions on advertising, but they have no audience, no spirit, no traditions… The festival is not a red carpet and not a show of clothes. For example, when I released two of my films The Professor a few years ago in Doha, I noticed a lot of glamor, cost and advertising, but no real interest in cinema. and almost no one watched the movie. The Carthage Film Festival is a benchmark in the world, and all its achievements today are thanks to it. Tunisian cinema is present at the Oscars today and won the César award two years ago, at a time when the production budget has not changed despite all the promises. This shows that there is an ongoing tradition in Tunisia of a new generation of filmmakers suffering for the sake of cinema, and this is significant for Tunisian cinema, and participation in the Cannes Film Festival is not accidental, even with oversight. the body does not interact with these developments. Although cinemas in most parts of the world have lost their audiences to make up for the platforms that show movies, Mahmoud bin Mahmoud still believes that cinemas may return someday: “Sometimes I believe that there are thing that returns after disappearing. Who would have thought the cylinder would break and come back? Examples are rare, but possible. The platform cannot replace the physical presence of an audience, or the closeness created by meeting people in the same place. How much has been said about the demise of the theater and its ending? How’s the radio? But nothing can replace theater, and there is evidence that it continues in Europe, including classical theater, as it is a meeting place for people.
Ben Mahmoud revealed the details of his new work, which will address the tragedy of illegal migration, saying: “Now we have reached the final stage of script writing after bringing experts to Europe because the film will be a co-production. between Tunisia, Belgium, Italy and France, and the Belgian producer is currently in the process of finishing and contributing. made to European standards, and we are now in the final stages of writing, whose production will begin in the summer. The shooting could take place in the spring of 2023 after receiving Belgian support; Italy and France.
Source: Al-Akhbar
