Tunisia’s Ben Hania wins Oscar nomination for The Man Who Sold His Skin
March 16, 2021
It is a dream come true moment for Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania as her film has bagged a “historical” nomination ahead of the April 25 Oscars ceremony in Hollywood.
Ben Hania's film "The Man Who Sold His Skin" has been nominated for best foreign-language film. This is the first-ever Tunisian film that has been tipped for Oscar.
"It's a historic event, a first for Tunisia," said the 43-year-old French-Tunisian director via phone from France. "It's a dream come true." Urging her North African country to support homegrown cinema, Ben Hania said her country’s cinema and filmmakers will receive more backing in the wake of her film’s nomination in Oscars.
The film features Italian actress Monica Bellucci, Syrian Yahya Mahyani and Belgian Koen De Bouw as the lead characters.
Ben Hania, through her film, unfolds the story of a Syrian refugee who wants to reach Europe and for this purpose, he allows his back to be used by a tattoo artist.
In 2017, the Cannes Film Festival was a high moment for her feature-length film Beauty and the Dogs. In the film, she described the story of a Tunisian woman who fights for justice after being raped.
