Challat of Tunis

Showings

Bijou by the Bay Wed, Jul 29, 2015 6:00 PM
Rich & Marcia Evans and Mike & Ruthanne Wilson
State Theatre Thu, Jul 30, 2015 3:00 PM
Tom's Mom's Cookies of Harbor Springs
Film Info
Section:Foreign
Release Year:2014
Runtime:90 min.
Rating:NR
Production Country:Tunisia
Original Language:Arabic
Subtitles:English
Cast/Crew Info
Cast:Jallel Dridi
Moufida Dridi
Mohamed Slim Bouchiba
Narimène Saidane
Director:Kaouther Ben Hania
Produced by:Habib Attia
Julie Paratian
Screenwriter:Kaouther Ben Hania
Cinematography:Sofian El Fani
Editing By:Nadia Ben Rachid
Music By:Si Lemhaf
Benjamin Violet

Description

An acerbic and hilarious mockumentary weaving together fact and fiction to create a work of brilliant and biting satire, Tunisian writer-director Kaouther Ben Hania’s second feature film is a tongue-in-cheek feminist critique of backwards macho chauvinism in Arab culture. True story: in 2003, a mysterious masked assailant made headlines in Tunis after numerous reports of his bizarre attacks—the so-called “Challat” rode his scooter through the capital and slashed the buttocks of women who were dressed “immodestly.” He was never caught. Ben Hania’s film takes up this stranger-than-fiction story over a decade later, seeking to uncover the Challat’s identity, and finding more than a few other examples of rampant sexism along the way—including a videogame based on the Challat’s exploits and a device dubbed the Virgin-o-meter. In Person: Director Kaouther Ben Hania.