Synopsis

​ When a famous male dancer moves to her neighborhood, a 12-year-old girl falls in love with him. Although she can't dance, she auditions to become part of his crew.

Program Note

​ Najeh, who seeks to escape from authoritative older brother by finding a marital partner, and Waffeh, who wishes to divorce her abusive husband, have taken up singing at wedding halls as their livelihood with their mother. Director Ben Slama has made extreme choices throughout the film, keeping the male characters mostly outside the frame. The men, who seem to hold the power to determine their fate, are only heard as voices. Thus, these women, who were seemingly marginalized at the fringes of a patriarchal society, finally become the true protagonists within the frames of the film. (Jin. Cho)

Director

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  • Sonia Ben Slama
  • Sonia Ben Slama is a French-Tunisian documentary filmmaker. In 2015, she directed her first feature documentary Maktoub. The film tells the story of her grandmother's marriage 70 years ago in Tunisian town and her cousin's wedding nowadays in the same place. Machtat, her second film explores similar themes as well. Sonia is currently developing a new feature-length documentary, 316 North Main Street, shot in the United States.