BLACK MEDUSA
O.V in Arabic, English and French subtitled in Spanish and English
Medusa, according to mythology, was a woman who turned those who stared at her into stone, a symbol of female destructive force. In a nocturnal Tunisia looking as if it could have been filmed by Jarmusch, Nada lives a double life: by day she works quietly in an office, and by night she seduces men only to destroy them, like a modern-day Medusa. Subverting the idea of the femme fatale, this film is a replica of A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, somewhere between film noir and giallo.
Direction: ismaël
Co-Direction: Youssef Chebbi
Script: ismaël, Youssef Chebbi
Cinematography: Imed Aissaoui
Editing: ismaël
Music:: Omar Aloulou
Sound: Amal Attaia
Production Design: Batal Temmani
Cast: Nour Hajri, Rym Hayouni
Production: ismaël
Production Company: Utopia Films
ismaël
1981, Tunisia. He is a director, visual artist and writer. In 2008, he published the essay Cinéma en Tunisie, and in 2009, he published a collection of poems, Lettres à la Mort. He co-directed the documentary Babylon (2012), together with Ala Eddinne Slim and Youssef Chebbi. With Fateme Ahmadi, he directed the short Leila’s Blues (2018), which premiered at the Director’s Fortnight in Cannes. Black Medusa (2021), co-directed with Youssef Chebbi, premiered at the Tiger Competition in Rotterdam.
Youssef Chebbi
1984, Tunisia. He is a musician and filmmaker. In 2010, he directed the short Vers le nord. Together with Mohamed Ismail Louati and Ala Eddinne Slim, he made the documentary Babylon (2012). The film won the Grand Prix of the International Competition at FIDMarseille. That same year, he released the short film Les profondeurs. Black Medusa (2021) is his feature film debut, with its world premiere at IFFR 2021. He is also the founder and director of Bookmaker Records.
