The Drowning Fish by Malik Amara
Tunisia
19 min | 2007
The online presentation of films from „Arab Shorts 2009” on this site ended by 31 December 2011.
Everybody wants the death of the tyrannical fisherman, including his wife and his daughter. But death is not as it seems. It’s an intense film with a furious rhythm and a group of big comedians – Malik Amara did not choose the easy route for his first short movie. He manages to make us laugh at death thanks to precise work on sets and costumes, and direction which privileges movement and speed. Mastering the codes of the genre, the director dares to do something not done before in Tunisian cinema: destroy the sacred aura of death, turn funeral rites into mockery, and represent death’s anteroom. In doing so, The Drowning Fish celebrates life.
About the Filmmaker
Born in Tunis in 1974, Malik Amara studied film making in EDAC (l’École des Arts et du Cinéma), then went to l’École Louis Lumière in France where he got a diploma in cinematography. He works as a DOP mainly in commercials. The Drowned Fish marks his directorial debut and has been selected in many international film festivals including Fespaco, Dubai, Stockholm and Nancy.
Born in Tunis in 1974, Malik Amara studied film making in EDAC (l’École des Arts et du Cinéma), then went to l’École Louis Lumière in France where he got a diploma in cinematography. He works as a DOP mainly in commercials. The Drowned Fish marks his directorial debut and has been selected in many international film festivals including Fespaco, Dubai, Stockholm and Nancy.
