Tunisian filmmaker Khedija Lemkecher’s debut feature Belles de nuit (Nawar Achiaa) won the Grand Prix at the 20th CinéAlma Mediterranean Film Festival in Carros, south-eastern France, organisers said. The awards closed the October 9–18, 2026 event.
The 110-minute film follows Yahia, a 20-year-old from Hay Hlel on the outskirts of Tunis who becomes a national boxing champion but remains determined to reach Italy clandestinely. Lemkecher blends social realism with fantasy, including a symbolic mermaid scene during a shipwreck. The title refers to the night-blooming flower, a metaphor for youth and fragile hope.
The cast includes Ilyes Kadri, Younes Megri, Bahri Rahali, Fatma Ben Saïdane, Moez Toumi and Sahbi Omar. Belles de nuit triumphed over 17 Mediterranean films. It had premiered at Cairo International Film Festival in 2024, won two Agadir Festival awards in 2025 and was released in Tunisian cinemas on January 7, 2026.
TunisianMonitorNews
