ASHKAL

Youssef Chebbi

france tunisia qatar 2022 92 min

In the Gardens of Carthage, a district of Tunis initiated by the former Regime which construction stopped at the beginning of the Revolution, two cops, Fatma and Batal, find a burnt body in one of the lots. As construction slowly resumes, they start looking into this mysterious case. When the event repeats itself, the investigation takes a puzzling turn.

• About the film

  Original title أشكال (Ashkal)

  Directed by Youssef Chebbi

  Screenplay Youssef Chebbi François-Michel Allegrini

  Cast Fatma Oussaifi Mohamed Houcine Grayaa

  Cinematography Hazem Berrabah

  Editing Valentin Féron

  Music Thomas Kuratli

  Production Companies Supernova Films Poetik Film Blast Film

• Festivals & Awards

  Quinzaine des Cinéastes — Festival de Cannes
  2022 | Official Selection — World Premiere
  Nomination — SACD Award, Youssef Chebbi

  Toronto International Film Festival
  2022 | Contemporary World Cinema

  Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival
  2022 | Official Selection
  Prix de la Critique — International Critics Award

  Namur International French-Speaking Film Festival — FIFF
  2022 | First Feature Competition
  Special Jury Mention — Youssef Chebbi

  BFI London Film Festival
  2022 | Thrill

  Warsaw International Film Festival
  2022 | Crème de la Crème
  Nomination — Crème de la Crème Award

  Tokyo International Film Festival
  2022 | Official Competition
  Nomination — Tokyo Grand Prix

  Seville European Film Festival
  2022 | Las Nuevas Olas

  Marrakech International Film Festival
  2022 | Competition
  Nomination — Étoile d’Or / Golden Star

  International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg — IFFMH
  2022 | On the Rise
  Rainer Werner Fassbinder Award — Best Screenplay, Youssef Chebbi & François-Michel Allegrini

  Bosphorus Film Festival
  2022 | International Competition
  Best International Feature Film

  Imagine Film Festival — Amsterdam
  2022 | International Competition
  Sea Devil Award — Best Feature Film

  CINEMED — Montpellier Mediterranean Film Festival
  2022 | Official Competition — Feature Films
  Antigone d’Or
  Prix de la Critique BNP Paribas
  Prix JAM — Best Music, Thomas Kuratli

  FEMA — La Rochelle International Film Festival
  2022 | Official Selection

  Visions d’Afrique — Saint-Pierre-d’Oléron
  2022 | Official Selection

  Red Sea International Film Festival
  2022 | Official Selection

  FESPACO — Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou
  2023 | Official Competition
  Étalon d’Or de Yennenga — Best Film
  Best Sound

  Vues d’Afrique — Montreal International Pan-African Film Festival
  2023 | Official Selection
  Special Mention — Best Actress

  New Directors/New Films — MoMA / Film at Lincoln Center
  2023 | Official Selection

  Festival International du Film de Jeonju
  2023 | Midnight Cinema

  Sotigui Awards
  2023 | Feature Film
  Best North African Actor — Mohamed Houcine Grayaa

  Critics Awards for Arab Films
  2023 | Cannes
  Best Director — Youssef Chebbi
  Best Editing — Valentin Féron

  Amman International Film Festival — Awal Film
  2023 | Arab Feature-Length Narrative Competition
  Black Iris Award — Best Arab Feature-Length Narrative

  Festival International du Film de Fribourg — FIFF
  2025 | Genre Cinema — Murders and Mysteries

  Journées Cinématographiques de Carthage — JCC
  2025 | New Arab Cinema / Official Selection — Out of Competition