ASHKAL - ALFILM Arab Film Festival Berlin

Ashkal 

Fiction, director: Youssef Chebbi, Tunisia/France, 2022, 92 min., Arab. with En. ST

In the Gardens of Carthage, a new district  where modern buildings are juxtaposed with abandoned sites and wastelands, the body of a caretaker is found calcined in the middle of a construction site. Batal (Mohamed Grayaâ) and Fatma (Fatma Oussaifi) oversee the investigation and begin by questioning the workers of the neighbouring yards. The police quickly conclude suicide by immolation, a gesture of despair. Batal and Fatma refute this thesis. A stunning thriller unfolding in post-revolutionary Tunis to summon the ghosts of pending pasts. Ashkal draws on the traditions of film noir demonstrating outstanding virtuosity in using light and shadows. The film has toured several festivals around the world and won many prizes since premiering at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.