A trailer has arrived for “As I Open My Eyes,” Leyla Bouzid’s award-winning feature debut.
The coming-of-age film is set against the backdrop of the burgeoning Jasmine Revolution in Tunis and centers on Farah (Baya Medhaffar), a rebellious musician. Farah must contend with political pressure and concern from her family to pursue her passion.
The preview gives a hint of what to expect from the film’s original soundtrack, which Bouzid identified as hugely significant to “As I Open My Eyes.” She told Women and Hollywood, “The composer, Khyam Allami, made the rock music I dreamed of with the lute, inspired by traditional Tunisian music with Arabic lyrics. He composed the music for the main actress as well. I had to find a young girl able to sing and act!”
“When the [Jasmine] Revolution happened, the desire to film and document that period was very strong,” Bouzid recalled. “Many documentaries were shot then — all full of hope, all focused on the future.” She explained, “I, too, really wanted to film. Not the revolution, but what everyone had lived through and been subjected to: the suffocating everyday life, the total power of the police, the surveillance, the fear and paranoia of the Tunisian people over the past 23 years.”
“As I Open My Eyes” won awards at Venice International Film Festival and Dubai International Film Festival. The film opens September 9 in NY and September 30 in LA. A national release will follow. Watch Farah take the stage and captivate her audience in the trailer below.
