LOTFI ACHOUR
BIO
Born in Tunis, Lotfi Achour is an author, director, and producer. He went to study economics at the Faculty of Law and Economics in Tunis. After a family tragedy, he realized that he wanted to become an actor and, at the age of 21, began his training at the Grenoble Conservatory and studied theater and cinema at the Sorbonne Institute of Theatrical Studies. Lofti Achour has produced over 25 theatrical works. His latest show was co-produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company for the London 2012 Olympic Games. He has directed 3 short films that have won dozens of awards, including La laine sur le dos, which was nominated in the short film category at the 69th Cannes Film Festival.
FILMOGRAPHY
Les enfants rouges, 2024. Feature film.
Angle mort, 2022. Short fiction film.
Burning Hope, 2016. Short fiction film.
La laine sur le dos, 2016. Short fiction film.
Père, 2014. Short fiction film.
Ordure, 2006. Short fiction film.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
The film is inspired by a real event which took place in November 2015. A terrorist group beheaded a young 16-year-old shepherd and gave the head to his 14-year-old cousin to bring back to the family.I t was probably one of the most traumatic terrorist crimes for Tunisians and one that is truly inscribed in our collective memory. Firstly, because it affected children and also because of the cruelty of the crime. (…) Something in the form of the crime joined certain mythological images, such as those of the Cephalophores – these decapitated holy martyrs who walked carrying their heads.
I initially rejected the idea of making a film inspired by this story as it seemed so terrible to me. And with my producer and artistic partner, Anissa Daoud, we wrote another project, a comedy, which I finally abandoned because the story of these two young shepherds haunted me. In 2018, with the screenwriters Natacha de Pontcharra, Doria Achour and Sylvain Cattenoy, we started writing the script for Red Path. Between the Covid years and all kinds of difficulties making this film, it ultimately took us more than five years to complete it.