Tunis-Djerba

Amel Guellaty took part in LIM | Less is More in 2020 for the development of her first feature film « Tunis-Djerba ».

Synposis

A comedic ode to Tunisia’s youth, Tunis-Djerba presents the story of Alyssa, a rebellious 19 year-old girl, and her friend Mehdi, a shy and introverted 23-year-old young man, who use their imagination to escape their unpromising reality. When they discover a contest in the south of Tunisia that may allow them to flee for real, they decide to undertake the road trip regardless of the obstacles in their way.

Intentions

In TUNIS- DJERBA I wanted to talk about a youth plagued by the lack of jobs, infrastructure and culture, a generation that sees emigration as the only solution.

This movie depicts the harsh reality of two best friends, Alyssa 18 and Mehdi 23. It was essential for me to write a relationship without a romantic dimension to it. A real friendship between a boy and a girl, especially in the Arab world. Also it was crucial to me to treat lightly and with humour all those serious topics.

The character’s personalities and their discussions set the tone and bring lightness to the film. The morose reality of their life is counterbalanced by their overflowing imagination. The dreams of Alyssa are mixed with her reality without any specific editing or calibration change, As for Mehdi, he spends his days drawing surrealist images linked to stories he tells his friend, “Do you know how clouds are created?” he asks her.

All these elements bring to the film a surreal and poetic side that contrasts with a hard reality.