Tunisian Oscar entry Take My Breath explores the clash between desire and identity as the life of 23-year-old seamstress Shams (Amina Ben Ismail) is overturned when their intersex identity is exposed. Targeted by an obsessive attacker, Shams escapes to the capital city and lives in the shadows, shunned by true love and rejected by society’s rigid norms and expectations.
From writer-director Nada Mezni Hafaiedh, Take My Breath originally world premiered at the Warsaw International Film Festival. It went on to win the Alexandria Mediterranean Film Festival’s top prize and Best Actress for Ismail.
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Casting Ismail was a stroke of luck for Hafaiedh, who said during Deadline’s Contenders Film: International showcase that she first discovered her in an airline magazine before getting to know her via Instagram and eventually placing her in the lead role.
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For Hafaiedh, the journey to Take My Breath began more than a decade ago when she met an intersex belly dancer. “Her story deeply moved me; I didn’t know people could be born intersex. Over the years, I delved deeper into the subject.”
But it was a long road as Hafaiedh explained she “wanted to be as truthful as possible to the emotions and the experience of an intersex individual. I couldn’t begin shooting without first understanding the experience up close. So, thank God I met Emna (Samet), who played an instrumental role in shaping the authenticity of the narrative.”
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Was it difficult to mount such a production in Tunisia? Co-producer Ziad Hamzeh said, “I think it is anywhere, not just in Tunisia, because it is a touchy subject, it is very sensitive. That particular question really speaks of the sense of commitment that Nada has for being able to tell stories about marginalized people or people who are not having the proper justice served to them. Wherever Nada might have been born, she would still stand for those kind of stories because it is integral to her that whatever story she tells makes a difference in the lives of others.”
Noted Hafaiedh, “Since I started making films, I’ve always found myself drawn to telling stories about marginalized people; it’s my way of advocating for human rights and standing up for justice as a filmmaker.”
Born in Saudi Arabia and raised in various cultures due to her diplomatic parents, Hafaiedh’s previous projects have included Hekayat Tounisia 2010, which was released shortly after Tunisia’s revolution and later evolved into a television series.
Tunisia has been gaining traction at the Oscars recently. Last year’s entry, documentary Four Daughters, made it onto the shortlist for in the International Feature category and was nominated in the Best Documentary race. Four years ago, Tunisia scored its only other Oscar nomination with The Man Who Sold His Skin at the 93rd awards.
Check out the panel video above.