Kaouther Ben Hania

EARLY LIFE

Kaouther Ben Hania was born on 27 August 1977 in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia. She developed an early interest in cinema and was associated with the Fédération Tunisienne des Cinéastes Amateurs. Between 2002 and 2004 she studied at the École des Arts et du Cinéma (EDAC) in Tunis, where she directed several school short films, including the noticed La Brèche (The Breach, 2004/2005). In 2003 she participated in a Euromed-funded feature-film writing workshop. She continued her training in Paris at La Fémis (summer university in 2004, then continuous training in the scriptwriting department in 2004–2005) and later completed a research master’s at the Sorbonne Nouvelle (Paris 3) with a thesis on “Le documenteur: la fiction avec ou contre le documentaire.” She also worked for Al Jazeera Documentary Channel until around 2007 and directed a children’s 3D television series for Al Jazeera Children.

CAREER

Ben Hania is one of the most internationally recognized contemporary Tunisian filmmakers, moving fluidly between fiction, documentary, and hybrid forms, often exploring gender, power, justice, identity, and social realities. Short films Early works include La Brèche (2004/2005), Moi, ma sœur et la chose (Me, My Sister and the Thing, 2006), Wooden Hand (2013), Sheikh’s Watermelons (2018), and I and the Stupid Boy (2021, part of the Miu Miu Women’s Tales series). Documentaries and hybrid works Les Imams vont à l’école / Imams Go to School (2010) Le Challat de Tunis / The Challat of Tunis / The Blade of Tunis (2013/2014) – social satire; opened ACID section at Cannes; Bayard d’Or for Best First Work at Namur Zaineb n’aime pas la neige / Zaineb Hates the Snow (2016) – Tanit d’Or at Carthage Film Festival (JCC); premiered at Locarno Les Filles d’Olfa / Four Daughters (2023) – In Competition at Cannes (L’Œil d’Or / Golden Eye, François Chalais Prize, Citizenship Award, Positive Cinema Award); César for Best Documentary Film (2024); nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature; Cinema for Peace Dove for Women’s Empowerment Fiction features La Belle et la Meute / Beauty and the Dogs (2017) – Un Certain Regard at Cannes; Best Sound Creation Award; Tunisian entry for the Academy Awards; nominated for the Lumière Award for Best Francophone Film L’Homme qui a vendu sa peau / The Man Who Sold His Skin (2020) – Orizzonti at Venice (Best Actor award); first Tunisian film nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film La Voix de Hind Rajab / The Voice of Hind Rajab (2025) – Grand Jury Prize (Silver Lion) at Venice; 23-minute standing ovation; nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature She has also been developing other projects, including the science-fiction feature Hapax (explored during a 2022 Villa Albertine residency in California) and Mimesis (in post-production / recent production notes). She has served on festival juries, including Cinéfondation & Short Films at Cannes (2021).

Kaouther Ben Hania is widely regarded as a leading voice in contemporary Arab and Tunisian cinema. She has received the Knight of the National Order of Merit (Tunisia, 2016) and multiple major festival prizes. Her work has achieved historic milestones for Tunisian film at the Academy Awards (first Tunisian nomination for Best International Feature with The Man Who Sold His Skin; subsequent nominations for Four Daughters and The Voice of Hind Rajab). She is noted for blending documentary realism with bold narrative experimentation and for addressing themes of gender, power, justice, and social change.