Leyla Bouzid (born on October 11, 1984 in Tunis), is a Tunisian screenwriter and film director.
Early life and education Born in Tunis on October 11, 1984 , Bouzid is the daughter of the director Nouri Bouzid. She grew up in Tunisia, spending her adolescence in Tunis. After her baccalaureate, she moved to Paris to study literature at the Sorbonne. After achieving a first short film, Bonjour (Sbah el khir el), she completed her studies at La Fémis.
Bouzid short film Twitching was her graduation film for La Fémis; it was shot in Tunisia.
In 2012, Twitching screened in a competition at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, where it was well received. It also won the Grand Jury Prize of student films at the Festival Premiers Plans d'Angers.
Career In 2013, Zakaria was Bouzid's first produced short film.
In 2015, her feature film, As I Open My Eyes, was selected for several festivals. It won acclaim at events like the Venice Film Festival, the Carthage Film Festival, the International Festival of Young Filmmakers of Saint-Jean-de-Luz, the Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur, and the International Film Festival of Dubai.
As I Open My Eyes investigates the modern Tunisian identity through focusing on a young woman's personal relationships during the political instability in the months before the Tunisian Revolution. The film marries the private life of a young Tunisian woman with the story of her nation at the cusp of fundamental change; "the young female body of Farah, with her voice and gaze, plays a pivotal role in how the movie is intensely meandering between the political and the nonpolitical."
Filmography Year Title Director Writer 2006 Bonjour (Sbah el khir) 2012 Offrande 2013 As I Open My Eyes 2021 A Tale of Love and Desire 2026 In a Whisper
Short film Year Title Director Writer 2010 Un Ange passe 2011 Mkhobbi Fi Kobba (Soubresauts; Shudders) 2013 Zakaria
Awards and nominations
Awards 2010: Prix cininter – Un Ange passe – Festival du 1er court métrage de Pontault-Combault 2010: Prix des femmes de Fersnes – Un Ange passe – Festival international de films de femmes de Créteil 2012: Grand Prix – Soubresauts – Festival Premiers Plans d’Angers 2012: Grand prix du jury – Soubresauts – Festival du Cinéma Méditerranéen de Tétouan 2012: Birds Eye View Award – Soubresauts – Birds Eye View Film Festival, London 2012: Prix Ismu – Soubresauts – Festival del Cinema Africano, d’Asia e America Latina von Mailand 2012: Best Short Film – Soubresauts – Verona International Film Festival 2014: TIFF Award – Zakaria – Tangier International Film Festival 2014: Prix à la qualité – Zakaria – Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée 2014: Prix des Lycéens – Zakaria – Festival del Cinema Africano, d’Asia e America Latina von Mailand 2015: Etalon de bronze – Zakaria – FESPACO 2015: Thomas Sankara Award – Zakaria – FESPACO 2015: Royal Air Morocco Ibn Battuta Award – Zakaria – FESPACO 2015: Tanit de bronze – Kaum öffne ich die Augen – Carthage Film Festival 2015: TV5 Monde Award – Kaum öffne ich die Augen – Carthage Film Festival 2015: FIPRESCI Award – Kaum öffne ich die Augen – Carthage Film Festival 2015: Bayard d’or – Kaum öffne ich die Augen – Festival international du film francophone de Namur 2015: „Mention spécial“ der Jury UGTT – Kaum öffne ich die Augen – Carthage Film Festival 2015: Bester Nachwuchsfilm – Kaum öffne ich die Augen – Französische Filmtage Tübingen-Stuttgart 2015: Europa Cinemas Label Award – Kaum öffne ich die Augen – 2015 Venice Film Festival 2015: Muhr Award – Kaum öffne ich die Augen – Dubai International Film Festival 2016: Kering Foundation „Women in Motion Young Talent Award“ – 2016 Cannes Film Festival 2016: Bester Film – Kaum öffne ich die Augen – East End Film Festival (EEFF) in London 2016: Sir Peter Ustinov Preis – Kaum öffne ich die Augen – LUCAS Film Festival 2016: Chevalier de l’Ordre de la République 2017: Bestes Drehbuch – Vent du Nord – geteilt mit Claude Le Pape und Walid Mattar – Carthage Film Festival
Nominations 2012: Compétitions film d’école – Soubresauts – Festival Premiers Plans d’Angers 2012: Compétitions film d’école – Soubresauts – Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival 2015: Short film in competition – Zakaria – FESPACO 2015: Bronze Horse – Kaum öffne ich die Augen – Stockholm International Film Festival 2015: Giornate degli Autori – Kaum öffne ich die Augen – 2015 Venice Film Festival 2016: Audentia Award – Kaum öffne ich die Augen – International Istanbul Film Festival 2016: Lumiere Award – Kaum öffne ich die Augen – Lumière Film Festival, Lyon 2016: Golden Gate Award – Kaum öffne ich die Augen – San Francisco International Film Festival 2016: LUX-Preis – Kaum öffne ich die Augen – European Film Academy Lux Award 2016: Futurewave Youth Jury Award – Kaum öffne ich die Augen – Seattle International Film Festival 2016: International New Talent Competition - Grand Prize – Kaum öffne ich die Augen – Taipei Film Festival 2016: Transilvania Trophy – Kaum öffne ich die Augen – Transilvania International Film Festival 2017: Magritte Award for Best Foreign Film in Coproduction – Kaum öffne ich die Augen 2017: Grand Jury Prize „Best Picture“ – Kaum öffne ich die Augen – zusammen mit Sandra da Fonseca und Imed Marzouk – Riviera International Film Festival 2017: Jury Prize „Best Director“ – Kaum öffne ich die Augen – Riviera International Film Festival 2017: MovieZone Award – Kaum öffne ich die Augen – International Film Festival Rotterdam 2026: Competition for Golden Bear – À voix basse – Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin
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