The Samama Family: Pioneers of Tunisian Cinema

About this book

Between the alleys of Tunis's Medina and the waves of La Goulette, dreams were woven of light and shadow long before the world knew the big screen's tumult. In this work, we open the box of wonders to restore the memory of the Samama family, those visionaries who did not merely watch history, but chose to film it and bring it to life. This book takes us on a mysterious and inspiring journey beginning with Albert Samama-Chikly, that modern "dandy" who hunted novelty on his bicycle and carried his camera like a prophecy. Far more than a simple monograph, it is the exploration of an extraordinary figure who introduced X-rays, radio, and aviation to Tunisia, before anchoring the Seventh Art's roots in his native land. The narrative then moves, with deep human sensitivity, to Haydée Tamzali, the daughter who broke her era's codes to become the first screenwriter, actress, and editor in the history of Tunisian and Arab cinema. Far from arid chronicles, the work resurrects "the smell of walls" and the aesthetics of the Bedouin tattoos of the film Zohra, while plunging into the backstage of Aïn el-Ghazel. First volume of the collection "Tunisian Constellations in the Sky of Cinema," this book is an invitation to every art and history enthusiast to reclaim our visual identity and to understand how a single family made Chikly Island the starting point of a cultural revolution that marked North Africa forever.