Bouazizi's actions, when
he set himself on fire to protest against unemployment and lack of freedom in
Tunisia, set off a chain of events that led to the Jasmin Revolution in Tunisia
and the overthrow of Tunisian President Zein El-Abedin Ben Ali.
Bouazizi's act of
self-sacrifice has led to shockwaves across the Arab world and seen him
proclaimed as a hero and martyr across the region. The protesters in Egypt and
other parts of North Africa and the Middle East have all cited Bouazizi as an
inspiration in their own aspiration for liberty in their countries.
"Mohamed Bouazizi has
become a hero for us as Tunisians and the Arab world as a whole. He performed
the ultimate self-sacrifice and in doing so he opened up the eyes and heart of
a nation to the injustice all around them. What's more, he did that by sacrificing
himself, not by hurting anyone else," said Tarak Ben Ammar.
"His call
for freedom, dignity and jobs has become a rallying cry for the youth across
the whole region. His story is one that needs to be preserved for future
generations to understand that one person can make a difference. His brave,
tragic and inspirational actions were the catalyst for the historic scenes we
are currently witnessing across the Arab world as the people unite and demand
their freedom. "
Ben Ammar will be making
full consultations with the family of Mohamed Bouazizi to gain their blessing
for the project. All profits from the film will go to Mohamed Bouazizi's
family. The project, which will be filmed entirely in Tunisia, will go into
production later this year with a view to receiving its world premiere at the
Cannes Film Festival in 2012.
The film will be a
political thriller in the mould of Costa-Gavras' classic "Z" and
Gillo Pontecorvo's "The Battle of Algiers."
Ben Ammar, a nephew of
Tunisia's first-ever independent President Habib Bourguiba, was in Tunisia
during the recent revolution as he completed production on his upcoming feature
film. Jean-Jacques Annaud's "Black Gold."
Ben Ammar's Nessma TV,
launched in 2008 as the first private and genuinely independent satellite channel
catering to the North African market, has played a pivotal role in the events
in Tunisia and helping steer the country in its transition toward freedom and
democracy.
Nessma was the first media
outlet to break the taboo on freedom of expression in Tunisia when it aired a
special report on the demonstrations in Sidi Bouzid on Dec. 30. The show aired
completely uncensored and unedited. As a result, Nessma was threatened with
being shut down by the former president and the channel's general manager was threatened
with jail.
"We stood firm
because we believed that the people of Tunisia, North Africa and the rest of
the world deserved to see the truth about Bouazizi and the events in the
country," said Ben Ammar. "It was unprecedented for an Arab channel
to have such coverage, with no taboos, no censorship, no agenda and no lies. As
a child I witnessed the independence of my country when my uncle Habib
Bourguiba liberated Tunisia from the French. We are now at another defining
moment in our history."
Ben Ammar also co-produced
Rachid Bouchareb's Oscar-nominated film “Outside The Law,” which recounts the
Algerian struggle for independence again French colonialism. “Outside The Law”
was shot in Ben Ammar's studios in Tunisia and was edited in his labs in France.
Ben Ammar is also distributing the film in Italy and the Middle East.
