Abdellatif Gourarri is a seasoned journalist”, distinguished by his great documentaries namely: Trials of Arab Spring with American filmmaker Lauren Finney, Awakening of Arab women with American filmmaker Gini Reticker, unknown dead (460), Refugee children, Return of the stray son, the unknown fate, out of the ordinary, more than forty…
After a television career (Al watania 1, France TV- M6- France 2-Canal+, ART Tunisian Office…) and written press, he focused on the documentary field and left behind him the experience of a daily monotonous journalistic work. He entered into the new world with all desire and determination. After years of diligence, he achieved an interesting success within the media landscape and documentary cinema on the investigative journalism path, what Gourarri understood early a number of its secrets.
We remind that in 2013, he achieved his documentary 460 which recounts the painful story of those who died in exile and buried in anonym graves until DNA test are done to be identified by their families. But this achievement did not stop at this level as he won the bet by another documentary: in the name of God. I even have had the chance to attend the screening of this documentary for the first time in the Ibn Khaldoun culture centre in Tunis. This documentary attracted various attendees for its human dimensions and values of coexistence as the filmmaker dealt with various cultures and religions.
Besides, during this documentary together with his characters, Gourarri tried to disseminate sublime values of tolerance and therefore the acceptance of the others during a shifting global landscape through a true marriage of a Tunisian with an Italian woman. He took care to clarify that a unit and the more solid world would be possible and to point out that a cultural and non-secular difference do not pose a problem and an Inter-religious dialogue can contribute to offer space to religion in society.
Filmmaker Garrouri succeeded to use smartly his invitation to the Korean Conference on Religions for Peace, in 2018 and to point out how the seven religious leaders adopted peaceful approaches, the aim being to try to make of the 2 Koreas a haven of peace.
Through this beautiful artwork achieved three years before this conference, the documentary maker added big and expressive scenes on how peace would prevail under the sky of tolerated religions and open cultures.
In fact, Abdellatif Garrouri makes interesting documentaries filled with humanitarian dimensions that represent the source of his creativity. He belongs to a generation thirsted and loved all quite documentaries especially people who aroused our passion. So he found himself eager to specialize in humanitarian issues and wandering emotions. All his documentaries that tell stories of troubled humanity in jails, refugee camps, in the sea and near cities.., show that formulas for cohabitation with no conflicts are feasible, for this reason, the filmmaker was enthusiastic to screen his documentaries in many places, in Tunisia, Europe and Sub Saharan Africa… so as to make his documentaries close to the various nationalities.
Abdellatif Gourarri is keen to continue the task after achieving a tremendous outcome of tumultuous works that pave the way for the young generation of filmmakers.
TunisianMonitorOnline (Ben Rhouma Chedly)
