release date December 13 2022
Erige Sehiri's UNDER THE FIG TREES earns audiences and critics' admiration
UNDER THE FIG TREES was warmly received at its first screening on Saturday, December 3rd in the second Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF) in Saudi Arabia, with the film enjoying a full house screening that included public dignitaries, A-list celebrities, critics, and media figures from foreign media outlets.
The film was featured as part of the Festival Favorites Section of the RSIFF — which is running from December 1st to the 10th — and will be screened once more on Sunday, December 4th from 6:45 pm to 8:22 pm at VOX Cinema 3 Red Sea Mall.
Commenting on the film's positive reception, UNDER THE FIG TREES director Erige Sehiri said: “Thank you to the Red Sea film Festival for sharing UNDER THE FIG TREES with the audience. I wish I could be there and meet the Saudi audience and my fellow Saudi filmmakers.”
“We wanted to frame the film like a painting in which a tree is a symbol of common destiny and the fig is the fragility of our lives. I hope that the audience will feel the soul of the film just like we did when we made it.”
The film will be released theatrically in French cinemas on December the 7th.
It is worth noting that UNDER THE FIG TREES is Tunisia's official submission in the 2023 Oscars for Best International Feature Film.
Taking place over the course of a day, UNDER THE FIG TREES presents an intergenerational dialogue between a group of teens and older folk as they work the summer harvest, catch feelings, attempt to understand each other, and navigate the complicated terrain of building deeper ties.
The film was critically acclaimed, with Amber Wilkinson from Screen Daily saying, "It's likely to travel further thanks to its engaging depiction of summer flirtations and a gentle exploration of sisterhood against a patriarchal backdrop."
Moreover, French newspaper Libération described the film as "a little miracle of cinema."
The film had its world premiere at the Cannes International Film Festival, in which it received the EcoPro Jury Award in the Directors' Fortnight. It was also featured at the Festival International du Film Francophone de Tübingen-Stuttgart, where it received the Grand Prize, and the Namur Film Festival, where it garnered the Bayard d'Or Award. Additionally, it held its Arab world premiere at the Carthage Film Festival, where it received the Silver Tanit Award.
It was also featured in the Toronto International Film Festival in Canada, International Film Festival Karlovy Vary, Sarajevo Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival, and Marrakech International Film Festival.
Finally, it competed in the Melbourne International Film Festival's Official Competition, the CineVision Competition of Filmfest München, and the Chicago International Film Festival's New Directors Competition.
Directed by Erige Sehiri and co-written by Ghalya Lacroix and Peggy Hamann, UNDER THE FIG TREES stars Fide Fdhili, Feten Fdhili, Ameni Fdhili, Samar Sifi, and Abdelhak Mrabti.
The film is a joint production between Tunisia's Henia Production, Switzerland's Akka Films, France's Maneki Films, and Germany's In Good Company.
Frida Marzouk is the DOP and the film's music is by Amine Bouhafa.
The movie is being distributed globally by Luxbox, while MAD Solutions is handling its distribution and marketing in the Arab world.
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