As I Open My Eyes / A peine j’ouvre les yeux • Leyla Bouzid (2015)
Tradition butts up against progress in Leyla Bouzid’s debut feature As I Open My Eyes, a musically-charged French-Tunisian film that follows a young woman in a band as she navigates familial, cultural, and social ideals in contemporary Tunis. Her band plays a blend of original music and covers at local bars, including men’s-only joints. For Farah (Baya Medhaffar), the young woman at the heart of the film, music transcends cultures and languages, and the lengthy musical interludes demonstrate a kind of escapism. But music too is wrapped up in the politics. As I Open My Eyes situates itself at the dawn of the Arab Spring in Tunisia, and Farah’s music addresses politics and issues in her home country. —Frederic Boyer (Tribeca Film Festival Guide 2016)
Directed by Leyla Bouzid
Produced by Sandra da Fonseca
Written by Leyla BouzidMarie-Sophie Chambon
Starring Baya Medhaffer
Music by Khyam Allami
Cinematography Sébastien Goepfert
Edited by Lilian Corbeille
Distributed by Shellac
Release date
5 September 2015 (Venice)
23 December 2015 (France)
13 January 2016 (Tunisia)
Running time102 minutes
Click here for IMDB page
© 2022 Khyam Allami