Nacer Khemir

Nacer Khemir
Nacer Khemir

Nacer Khemir (Arabic: ناصر خمير‎), born in 1948 in Korba, Tunisia, is a Tunisian writer, artist, storyteller, and filmmaker.

Contents

Biography

From an early age, Khemir was fascinated by classical Arabic culture and by storytelling. He has cited the One Thousand and One Nights as a particular influence, saying, "I am a child of these stories."[1] However, in spite of this interest and a similar, lasting passion for film, Khemir initially planned a career as a painter and sculptor - a path he has, throughout his life, continued to pursue; his art has been exhibited at, among other institutions, the Centre Pompidou and the Museum of Modern Art in Paris.[2]

In 1966, at the age of eighteen, he was awarded a UNESCO fellowship to study film in Paris. In 1975, he completed his first film, L’Histoire du pays du Bon Dieu (The History of God's Country), shot in his hometown of Korba and featuring the desert setting and spiritual overtones that would figure prominently in his later work.[3]

Released in 1984, his first feature film, Les baliseurs du désert (Wanderers of the Desert), garnered international acclaim. The film, which tells the story of a schoolteacher's arrival in a strange and haunting desert town, was awarded the Grand Prix at the Festival des Trois Continents.

Khemir's second feature, Le collier perdu de la colombe (The Dove's Lost Necklace), was released in 1991. The dialogue of the film is in Classical Arabic.[4] Its narrative, reminiscent of a fairy tale, concerns a young calligrapher in Al-Andalus who embarks on a quest to find the missing fragments of a manuscript that he believes will reveal to him the secrets of love. Le collier perdu de la colombe was the recipient of several awards, including a Special Jury Prize at the Locarno International Film Festival.

Les baliseurs du désert and Le collier perdu de la colombe are considered to form the first two parts of a "Desert Trilogy."[5] The third part, Bab'Aziz: le prince qui contemplait son âme (Bab'Aziz: The Prince Who Contemplated His Soul) was released in 2005. Bab'Aziz tells the story of an elderly dervish who, accompanied by his young granddaughter, encounters several mysterious strangers as he journeys to a large and joyful Sufi gathering in the desert. Khemir has described Bab'Aziz as "a highly political film, and deliberately so," saying:

"I would explain it with this allegory: if you are walking alongside your father and he suddenly falls down, his face in the mud, what would you do? You would help him stand up, and wipe his face with your shirt. My father’s face stands for Islam, and I tried to wipe Islam’s face clean with my movie, by showing an open, tolerant and friendly Islamic culture, full of love and wisdom . . . an Islam that is different from the one depicted by the media in the aftermath of 9/11."[6]

The film was co-produced by eight countries, including Germany, France, Switzerland, and Iran.[1] It was the recipient of a Golden Dagger at the Muscat Film Festival.[7]

In addition to his work as an artist and filmmaker, Khemir has performed as a storyteller at the Théâtre national de Chaillot, and has produced work for Swiss, French, and Tunisian television. He is the author of a number of books, including several for children.[8]

Filmography

  • Les baliseurs du désert (Wanderers of the Desert), 1984
  • Le collier perdu de la colombe (The Dove's Lost Necklace), 1991
  • Bab'Aziz: le prince qui contemplait son âme (Bab'Aziz: The Prince Who Contemplated His Soul), 2005

Published work

  • Le chant de génies, 2001
  • J’avale le bébé du voisin, 2000
  • La grand-mère, le juge et la mouche, 2000
  • Le livre des djinns, 2000
  • L’alphabet des sables, 1998
  • Paroles d’Islam, 1994
  • Sheherazade, 1987
  • Grand-père est né, 1985
  • Le conte des conteurs, 1984
  • Le sommeil emmure, 1978
  • L'ogresse, 1975

Awards and honors

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Nacer Khemir — Nacer Khémir Nacer Khémir (النّاصر خمير), né en 1948 à Korba, est un conteur, écrivain et réalisateur tunisien. Sommaire 1 Biographie 2 Œuvres 2.1 Publications …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Nacer Khémir — à Tokyo en 2007 Nacer Khémir (النّاصر خمير), né en 1948 à Korba, est un conteur, écrivain et réalisateur tunisien. Sommaire …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Nacer Khemir — es un director de cine tunecino nacido en Korba en 1948. Es también escultor, poeta y cuentacuentos. Filmografía Los balizadores del desierto 1984. (Palmera de Oro en la Mostra del Mediterrani de Valencia) El collar perdió de la paloma 1991.… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Naceur Khémir — Nacer Khémir Nacer Khémir (النّاصر خمير), né en 1948 à Korba, est un conteur, écrivain et réalisateur tunisien. Sommaire 1 Biographie 2 Œuvres 2.1 Publications …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Khemir, Nacer — (1948, Korba, Tunisia )    In 1972, after studying cinema in Paris, he returned to Tunisia, where he gathered tales from local storytell­ers and used them to write his four movies.  Filmography 1986 ◘ El Haimoune / Les Baliseurs du Désert (also… …   Encyclopedia of French film directors

  • BabAziz — BabAziz, el sabio sufí Saltar a navegación, búsqueda BabAziz Título BabAziz, el sabio sufí Ficha técnica Dirección Nacer Khemir Guión Tonino Guerra, Nacer Khemir Mú …   Wikipedia Español

  • Bab'Aziz — Bab Aziz, el sabio sufí Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Bab Aziz, le prince qui contemplait son âme Título Bab Aziz, el sabio sufí Ficha técnica Dirección Nacer Khemir Producción Cyriac Auriol y Ali Reza Shojanoori …   Wikipedia Español

  • Tonino Guerra — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Guerra. Tonino Guerra Données clés Nom de naissance Antonio Guerra Naissance 16 mars 1920 Santarcangelo di Romagna, Italie Nationalité …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Liste De Films Tunisiens — Cette page présente une liste de films tunisiens classés selon leur année de sortie en salles à partir de 1966. Sommaire 1 1966 1969 2 1970 1979 3 1980 1989 4 1990 1999 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Liste de films tunisiens — Cette page présente une liste de films tunisiens classés selon leur année de sortie en salles à partir de 1966. Sommaire 1 1966 1969 2 1970 1979 3 1980 1989 4 1990 1999 …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”