Mariam Al Ferjani

EARLY LIFE

Mariam Al Ferjani was born in 1989 in Béja, Tunisia. She grew up in a family with a strong interest in cinema—her father, a diplomat and cinephile, transmitted a passion for film. She initially pursued medical studies in Tunisia for roughly four years before realizing it was not her path. She also studied at the conservatory of music in Tunis. After meeting Tunisian filmmaker Leyla Bouzid, she shifted fully toward cinema. She moved to Milan (where her father was based at the time) to study film directing at the Civica Scuola di Cinema Luchino Visconti, graduating in 2015, while also taking acting classes at the Paolo Grassi Theater School. During her studies she returned to Tunisia to make experimental shorts.

CAREER

She began acting with Leyla Bouzid’s short Soubresauts (Subresauts / The Claim, around 2010–2012). While studying in Milan she directed and starred in experimental shorts including The Claim (Al Ediaa) and Wintry (Shatwi). Her breakthrough came with the lead role of Mariam in Kaouther Ben Hania’s Beauty and the Dogs (La Belle et la Meute / Aala Kaf Ifrit, 2017). The film premiered in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival and earned her significant recognition, including the Best Actress Award from the Arab Cinema Center / Arab Critics’ Award (2018) and the Hassiba Rochdi Best Actress prize at the Carthage Film Festival (JCC 2017). She was also named among the Arab Stars of Tomorrow at the Dubai International Film Festival (2016). As a director and writer she co-directed and co-wrote the short Omertà (2018), which screened in the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes. She has continued acting in international and regional projects, including CAI-BER / Cairo-Berlin (2021, as Nour), Harga / Harqa (Tunisian series), Amal, Omayma – La orme del tempo (Italy), Reborn, Samra’s Dollhouse, and more recent credits such as Maliha and other series. In 2025 her short First the Blush Then the Habit (which she directed and starred in) had its world premiere at the Warsaw International Film Festival and its Arab premiere at the Cairo International Film Festival. She has been developing a debut fiction feature (referenced in earlier profiles as Alyah). Alongside cinema she works as a photographer and visual artist; her self-portrait series Where Did We Meet Before? (begun around 2012, developed across Beirut, Milan, Cairo, and Tunis) was exhibited in Paris.

PERSONAL LIFE

Al Ferjani lives and works between Tunis and Milan. She keeps details of her private life (including relationships) largely out of the public domain. She is multilingual (Arabic, French, English, Italian) and maintains an active practice as a visual artist and photographer alongside her film work.

Mariam Al Ferjani is regarded as one of the notable emerging voices of contemporary Tunisian and Arab cinema, moving fluidly between acting, directing, writing, and visual art. Her work often engages with themes of identity, justice, gender, and personal/political struggle. She continues to divide her professional life between Tunisia and Italy while building an international presence.