CAREER HIGHLIGHT(S):
Since 2007, Attia has been the manager of Cinetelefilms, one of Tunisia's most active production
companies since its creation in 1983. Habib Attia has produced most of Kaouther Ben Hania’s films, including the César winner FOUR
DAUGHTERS.
He is also a producer on Lotfy Nathan’s HARKA, Hinde Boujemaa’s IT WAS BETTER TOMORROW, Meryam Joobeur’s 2018
Oscar-nominated short BROTHERHOOD, and Mehdi Barsaoui’s A SON, for which French star Sami Bouajila won Best Actor in Venice’s
Horizons Competition in 2019 and the 2020 French Césars.
Attia also works regularly with non-Tunisian Arab filmmakers, producing Palestinian director Rashid Masharawi’s LAILA’S BIRTHDAY and
FALESTINE STEREO, and Moroccan filmmaker Hind Bensari’s Hot Docs winner WE COULD BE HEROES.
Habib Attia
Managing Director of CineteleFilms
TUNISIAN
TWELVE-MONTH HIGHLIGHT(S): AÏCHA: Produced by Cinetelefilms, Mehdi Barsaoui's feature had a strong record in the festival circuit last year, starting with its
premiere at Venice, followed by Montpellier Cinemed and the JCC. UNDER ONE’S BREATH: Attia kicked off the shoot of Leyla Bouzid’s third feature in 2024. THE RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL SON: Cinetelefilms' project found more success on the funding trail in 2024, as Rani
Massalha’s Egyptian-set film won the AFAC Cinema Grant of 2024.
Interview
What advice would you give to ensure more successful Arab co-productions? What are the
best ways to bring together money, talents, and partners from across the region while still telling authentic stories that are culturally specific?
To strengthen Arab co-productions, it is urgent to conclude official co-production agreements
between countries, both bilaterally and multilaterally. This will allow each film project to be
considered a national project and to benefit from national institutional and private funding,
regardless of the nationality of its author and director.
