THE MAN WHO SOLD HIS SKIN
O.V. in Arabic, English and French subtitled in English and Spanish
The story of unstoppable love, a satire on the world of "compromised" art, and a wild adventure: this is the kind of film where a man literally sells his skin in exchange for his freedom. Sam Ali is forced to escape from Syria because of the war, being stranded in Lebanon far from his beloved one, and forced into an arranged marriage in Belgium. Finally, one day he receives an offer by a conceptual artist and his assistant (Monica Bellucci): if they let him have his back tattooed (denouncing the situation of the refugees), he will get a passport to Europe and a huge sum of money. However, becoming a valued work of art has more downsides and dangers than you can imagine.
Direction: Kaouther Ben Hania
Script: Kaouther Ben Hania
Cinematography: Christopher Aoun
Editing: Marie-Hélène Dozo
Music: Amine Bouhafa
Sound: Anders Billing, Vive Leny Andrieux
Cast: Yahya Mahayni, Dea Liane, Monica Bellucci, Koen de Bouw, Darina Al Joundi, Christian Vadim
Production: Nadim Cheikhrouha, Habib Attia, Annabella Nezri, Thanassis Karathanos, Martin Hampel, Andreas Rocksen
Production Company: Tanit Films, Cinetelefilms, Twenty Twenty Vision, Kwassa Films, Laika Film, Bac Films
Kaouther Ben Hania
Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania studied cinema in Tunisia and then in Paris - Femis and la Sorbonne. Her previous film Beauty and the Dogs, premiered at Cannes Film Festival official selection Un Certain Regard in 2017, won the Best Sound Creation Award and was distributed in many countries. Challat of Tunis, her first feature, opened the ACID section at Cannes Film Festival 2014 and was widely distributed. Her second documentary Zaineb Hates the Snow premiered at Locarno Film Festival 2016 and won several awards. Imams go to School, her first documentary premiered at IDFA 2010. She also directed several shorts, including Wooden Hand (2013) and Sheikh's Watermelons (2018) which had a long and successful run on the international festival circuit. The Man Who Sold His Skin, her latest feature film, had its premiere in Venice.