Ghanem Zrelli

Ghanem Zrelli was born on 6 December 1984 in the Korba/Nabeul area of northeastern Tunisia and grew up in Korba, a coastal town that hosted Tunisia’s first national theatre festival after independence. He began performing on stage around the year 2000. With friends he founded the local drama group “La Marge,” with which he staged and acted in several plays that found local success over about five years. He first observed a professional film set during the shooting of Nacer Khemir’s Baba Aziz in Korba, an experience that deepened his interest in cinema. He enrolled at the Institut Supérieur d’Art Dramatique in Tunis in 2005 and graduated in 2009.

CAREER

Zrelli’s early professional work combined theatre and film. In 2007–2008 he appeared as Habib Bourguiba in Fadhel Jaziri’s film Thalathoun (Thirty). He made his television debut in the series Njoum Ellil (as Qais). With fellow graduates he staged the documentary theatre piece Nation or Alienation (quickly censored for addressing the 2008 Redeyef uprising). He also directed and adapted Bertolt Brecht’s The Wedding as the Tunisian-dialect comedy Lehne (Here). His major regional breakthrough came in 2012 with the role of Ali ibn Abi Talib in Hatem Ali’s historical series Omar. The portrayal of a figure whose face had rarely been shown in artistic works due to religious sensitivities generated both wide popularity across the Arab and Islamic world and controversy, including reported threats that led him to limit certain Arabic-language projects for a period. He then became associated with the new wave of Tunisian cinema. Key film roles include: Narcisse (Sonia Chamkhi, 2015/2016) – as Mehdi; Best Male Actor awards at the 5th Meeting of Tunisian Directors and the Maghrebian Film Festival in Oujda, Morocco Thala My Love (Thala Mon Amour, Mehdi Hmili, 2016) – as Mohamed Beauty and the Dogs (La Belle et la Meute / Aala Kaf Ifrit, Kaouther Ben Hania, 2017) – as Youssef; film premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes In Paradox (2019) – as Yousef Day of the Falcon / Black Gold (Jean-Jacques Annaud) – supporting role Additional credits include The Scarecrows, Aya (short), and international work On television he has played complex and often antagonistic or layered characters, notably Slouma in Flashback (2016–2017), Youness (a tough juvenile-detention officer) in El Maestro (2019), and more recent roles such as Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan in the 2025 MBC series Muawiya, appearances in Harga/Harqa-related productions, El Khottifa (The Swallow Bird / Khotifa), and Exile (Exil). He has also worked in theatre direction and acting throughout his career.

PERSONAL LIFE

Zrelli is married to Tunisian singer Alyssa Arabi. The couple have one child and have been based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. He maintains an active presence in both Tunisian and regional Arab screen work while continuing his engagement with theatre.

Ghanem Zrelli is regarded as one of the versatile leading actors of his generation in Tunisian and broader Arab cinema and television. He moves between historical epics, socially engaged arthouse films, popular series, and theatre. His performances are often noted for intensity and range—from idealistic or vulnerable figures to morally ambiguous or harsh characters. He continues to work across film, television, and stage while based between Tunisia and the Gulf.