Mohamed Ben Attia's surreal Tunisian drama BEHIND THE MOUNTAINS enjoyed widespread popularity and packed screenings at this year’s edition of the Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF), which is running from November 30th to December 9th.
 
BEHIND THE MOUNTAINS had two full house screenings as part of its Arab World premiere at the 2023 RSIFF, with public dignitaries A-list celebrities — including American actor Joel Kinnaman and Indian actress Freida Pinto — and media figures flocking to see it.
 
Both screenings were also introduced by the director, received eager applause after their conclusion, and were followed by a lively Q&A session, with Ben Attia, producer Dora Bouchoucha, and actor Majd Mastoura expressing their heartfelt sympathy and unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people during these challenging times and supporting actor Samer Bisharat, who couldn’t make it due to the conflict.
 
Previously, BEHIND THE MOUNTAINS enjoyed full-house screenings and positive reception throughout the Venice Film Festival, where it held its world premiere as part of the Horizons Section, with David Katz of Cineruopa calling it the “most unconventional, and arguably the most rewarding” of Ben Attia’s filmography so far. 
 
The film follows Rafeek, who, after spending four years in jail, decides to take his only son behind the mountains to show him an incredible find.
 
BEHIND THE MOUNTAINS is written and directed by Ben Attia, who won the Best First Feature Award at the Berlin International Film Festival for his film HEDI.
 
The film also stars Majd Mastoura — who previously won Best Actor at the same festival — rising MAD Solutions' talent Samer Bisharat, Walid Bouchhioua, Salma Zeghidi, and Helmi Dridi.
Lensed by Frédéric Noirhomme, BEHIND THE MOUNTAINS is edited by Lenka Fillnerova and co-produced by the Tunisian award-winning producer and actress Bouchoucha and Lina Chaabane (Nomadis Images); Jean Pierre, Luc Dardenne, and Delphine Tomson (Les Film Du Fleuve); Nadim Cheikhrouha (Tanit Films); and Giovanni Robbiano and Lorenzo Rappetti (010films). The film also received financial support from the Red Sea Fund when it was in the project phase.
 
Finally, the film is distributed worldwide by Luxbox, while MAD Solutions handles Arab world sales.
 
Mohamed Ben Attia kicked off his filmmaking career with five shorts — ROMANTISME: DEUX COMPRIMES MATIN ET SOIR; KIF LOKHRIN, which won the Silver Award at the FESPACO in 2006; MOUJA; LOI 76; and SELMA, which competed in the Official Competition of the Clermont-Ferrand Festival and won several awards in various other festivals.
 
He then released his debut feature, INHEBEK HEDI, in 2016. The film was a major success, winning the Best First Film Award and the Silver Bear for Best Actor at the 2016 Berlinale and receiving wide acclaim from both critics and audiences around the world.
 
He found similar success in his second feature film, DEAR SON, which went on to screen as part of the Director’s Fortnight in Cannes in 2018.