The Carthage Cinematographic Days, JCC 2024, are officially back, from December 14 to 21. The Tunisian film festival, which aims to highlight African auteur films first and then Arab and local, is reconnecting with its audience, after its cancellation in 2023 as a sign of solidarity with Palestine. It presents itself with more extensive programming and new sections.
The JCC steering committee, headed by director Ferid Boughedir, has published almost everything concerning the films in official competitions and those appearing in the additional sections, this was done regularly on the festival’s social networks.
However, the presence of the Tunisian filmmaker at the head of the festival remains controversial, and this was felt during the press conference, during which feminist associations entered chanting accusatory messages.
The experience of films in prisons and barracks continues with the screening of films in the presence of their authors, actors and guests of the festival and also in the regions and villages of Tunisia. The screenings will take place in the governorates of Gabès, EL Kef, Bizerte, Béja and Sousse.
The major novelty of this year is the announcement of a new national competition dedicated exclusively to Tunisian films in the 3 official categories: feature films, documentaries and short films.
Two films will be the opening of the festivalthe short fiction film “upshot” (2024) by Maha Haj from Palestine and the feature-length documentary in a restored print “The Freedom Giver” (1987) by Iraqi filmmaker, researcher and editor Kays Alzubaydi who died on December 1, 2024.
Let us recall that Tunisian participation in the JCC 2024 reached a record number never recorded before with 25 new feature films, distributed between the different sections of the event. A total of 32 Tunisian cinematographic works will be expected.
JCC 2024: a record number of Tunisian films and new sections from December 14 to 21, 2024
Three countries will be in the spotlight during this 35th edition, which will see the screening of several films from Senegal, the most awarded country in the history of the JCC, Palestine, the country in the spotlight during the canceled session, and the Kingdom of Jordan . The Palestine section at the heart of the JCC will offer 19 films, 14 films at Avenue Habib Bourguiba in Tunis and 5 films in theaters.
Carthage Film Days 2024 in figures
– Number of rooms: 20
– Number of films recorded: 806
– Number of countries registered: 21
– Number of Tunisian films recorded: 99
– Number of films programmed: 217
– Number of feature films: 168
– Number of short films: 447
– Number of films in the official competition: 56
– Number of films in the national competition: 12
– Number of “Focus Jordan” films: 12
– Number of “Focus Senegal” films: 14
– Number of “Palestine at the heart of the JCC” films: 19 films (14 films at the Avenue + 5 films in theaters)
– JCC in prisons: 6 films
– JCC in the regions: 5 films
– JCC in the barracks: 5 films
– Panorama 35 : 5 films
– Panorama 34 : 23 films
– Carthage Pro :
– 160 submissions for Chabaka, including 37 Tunisian projects.
– 69 submissions for Takmil, including 13 Tunisian projects.
– 143 submissions from Arab and African project leaders.
– 11 projects selected for Chabaka including 6 Tunisian
– 9 projects selected for Takmil including 3 Tunisian
Special tribute to Khemaies Khayati
A special tribute will be paid to the great Tunisian journalist and film critic the late Khemaies Khayati. The deceased was passionate about images and the world of cinema since the 1960s when he was a member of the Tunisian Federation of Film Clubs.
Khayati studied sociology, literature and Arab civilization in Paris, devoting his doctoral thesis to the pioneer of Egyptian realistic cinema, director Salah Abu Seif. He then worked as a journalist and film critic with numerous media, first in France, where he founded the magazine “Arab Cinema”.
He was part of the film selection committee for the Critics’ Week of the Cannes International Film Festival and then became head of the press office of the Institut du Monde Arabe. He is also a member of the editorial board of the pro-Palestinian Arabic-language newspaper “AL YOUM ESSABAA”.
He then returned to Tunisia, where he presented specialized programs on cinema on national television. In addition to publishing eighteen books. The deceased received the “Tanit of Honor” at the end of the Carthage Cinematographic Days 2021 in recognition of the richness and singularity of his career.
Throughout his career, he has maintained his innate humility while sharing his experience with young cinema professionals. This tribute includes a prize bearing the name of Khemaies Khayati, an exhibition of photographs and a meeting on film criticism, in addition to the production of a short film entitled: “Khemaies Khayati and the Carthage Cinema Days”.
Tekiano
