One of the buzziest titles in this year’s Cannes Film Festival is Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania’s Four Daughters.
It’s rare for the festival to include non-fiction films in competition, and this year there are two, with her film joined by Wang Bing’s garment factory-set Youth.
“I think it was about time to do this,” says Ben Hania, 45, noting that Nicolas Philibert’s On the Adamant and Laura Poitras’ All the Beauty and the Bloodshed – both documentaries – won the last two major film festivals, in Berlin and Venice respectively. “Documentaries are fascinating, wonderful and I think that Cannes and [Delegate General] Thierry Fremaux … they understood something about this.”
Whether that means Four Daughters is in line to win the prestigious Palme d’Or this Saturday remains to be seen. Certainly, it’s a radical reinterpretation of the documentary form.
The film tells of Olfa Hamrouni, a Tunisian woman who became demonised in 2016 after her two eldest daughters ran away to join ISIS in Libya.
“I was fascinated by the story of Olfa,” admits Ben Hania. “In cinema, we love people with contradictions, people with flaws. And I thought it was about time to do something about a mother-daughter relationship [and] the inheritance of trauma.”
She started the project back in 2016, while finishing up Zaineb Hates the Snow, a six years in the making documentary in which she followed a young Tunisian girl who loses her father. After making contact with Olfa, she began filming but wasn’t happy with the initial results.
“I put it aside and thought ‘Maybe I will never do it.’” Ben Hania went on to make her 2020 feature The Man Who Sold His Skin, which became the first ever Tunisian feature film nominated for an Oscar. But she couldn’t forget Olfa. “I was in contact with Olfa and her daughters all this time, which allowed me to build a strong relationship with them.”
While Ben Hania “hates” the idea of re-enactments in documentaries, when actors come in to play real-life figures, she then hit on a novel concept. “I thought, ‘Maybe we can take the cliché of re-enactments and push it further.’” And so in Four Daughters, Olfa appears, but is also played by Egyptian-Tunisian star Hend Sabrina.
Her two younger daughters, Eya and Taysir, play themselves. And Ghorfran and Rahma, the two that disappeared when they were 16 and 15 respectively, are played by actresses Ichraq Matar and Nour Karoui.
This very artificial construct served a deep purpose, allowing the real Olfa, Eya and Taysir to open up old wounds about the radicalised Ghorfran and Rahma. Ben Hania was very sensitive to their situation. “Olfa and her daughters are used to being judged. If there is something that makes them upset, its judgment,” she says.
“The idea was to make a new family – the two actresses instead of the two missing daughters. And then the magic happened because the two actors look like the real daughters, even physically. So Olfa adopted them immediately – there is a kind of strong sisterhood between them.”
Primarily, the film is like on-camera therapy, digging into Olfa’s past, one where she suffered violence and aggression from the men around her. But as Eya and Taysir reveal, they too experienced beatings at the hands of their mother, who became overbearing and overprotective.
“I think patriarchy can be also represented by women,” suggests Ben Hania. “When you are in such a violent society, you are in survival mode. And survival mode, it means you should fight. This is what she did. She became a man. You are not in a society where you have the luxury that everyone is polite.”
Growing up under such oppression, is it any wonder that her elder daughters were seduced by ISIS? Rahma ended up marrying Noureddine Chouchane, a Tunisian ISIS member believed to have planned attacks on western tourists in Tunisia.
Ben Hania understands why youngsters get radicalised. “It’s the same [expletive], everywhere. When I see the lone shooter in the United States, they’re teenagers … it’s the same human brain, human soul. When you are adolescent, you have a fascination for death. There is something very Goth about adolescence. ISIS is very Goth – in a dangerous way. It’s morbid.”
After narrowly escaping death from US military air strikes, Olfa’s daughters are now in jail in Libya, and one has a young child – Olfa’s granddaughter, who she has never met.
“It’s a tragedy to see a child growing up in jail,” says Ben Hania. “She went to jail when she was five months old and today she’s eight years. And we all know that the first seven years of your life will decide what you will be. If this girl doesn’t leave this place, she will also be violent.”
As the end credits state, Tunisia hopes to repatriate the prisoners, although Olfa’s granddaughter doesn’t even have identity papers. “She doesn’t exist,” says Ben Hania. “In the [so-called] 'Islamic State', they have their own papers. She has nothing.”
The hope is that Four Daughters may help shine a spotlight on their plight, much in the way Ben Hania’s recent success has helped put Arab cinema at the centre of the filmmaking universe. After The Man Who Sold His Skin, everything changed for her.
“After the [Oscar] nomination I had a lot of offers to direct English-speaking films.” Like what? A Marvel movie? “Not a Marvel movie, but a lot of things,” she says, adding that agents and studios wanted her as part of a “package”. “[They say] ‘We have this book, we have this screenwriter, and we want an Oscar-nominated director.’ So a woman, Muslim, Arabic … I cross all [the boxes]. So it was an education.”
While this may suggest that there is still a lot of short-sightedness in Hollywood, and a certain amount of box-ticking to appear to be diverse, Ben Hania remained dedicated to finishing Four Daughters rather than basking in Oscar glory. “When people asked what I would do next, I’d say I’m doing a documentary in Tunisia, [and] it’s like ‘Are you crazy?’”
Nevertheless, her next film will be a feature in Tunisia. Promoting greater Arabic representation through her cinema remains vital. “It’s important to have different stories, to tell stories from inside,” she says. “We need more angles, more diversity.”
The Cannes Film Festival runs until Saturday.
RACE CARD
4pm Al Bastakiya – Listed (TB) $150,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
4.35pm Dubai City Of Gold – Group 2 (TB) $228,000 (Turf) 2,410m
5.10pm Mahab Al Shimaal – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,200m
5.45pm Burj Nahaar – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,600m
6.20pm Jebel Hatta – Group 1 (TB) $260,000 (T) 1,800m
6.55pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 – Group 1 (TB) $390,000 (D) 2,000m
7.30pm Nad Al Sheba – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (T) 1,200m
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: CVT auto
Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km
On sale: now
Price: from Dh195,000
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Borussia Dortmund v Paderborn (11.30pm)
Saturday
Bayer Leverkusen v SC Freiburg (6.30pm)
Werder Bremen v Schalke (6.30pm)
Union Berlin v Borussia Monchengladbach (6.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Wolfsburg (6.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldof v Bayern Munich (6.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Cologne (9.30pm)
Sunday
Augsburg v Hertha Berlin (6.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Mainz (9pm)
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
How Filipinos in the UAE invest
A recent survey of 10,000 Filipino expatriates in the UAE found that 82 per cent have plans to invest, primarily in property. This is significantly higher than the 2014 poll showing only two out of 10 Filipinos planned to invest.
Fifty-five percent said they plan to invest in property, according to the poll conducted by the New Perspective Media Group, organiser of the Philippine Property and Investment Exhibition. Acquiring a franchised business or starting up a small business was preferred by 25 per cent and 15 per cent said they will invest in mutual funds. The rest said they are keen to invest in insurance (3 per cent) and gold (2 per cent).
Of the 5,500 respondents who preferred property as their primary investment, 54 per cent said they plan to make the purchase within the next year. Manila was the top location, preferred by 53 per cent.
If you go
The flights
The closest international airport for those travelling from the UAE is Denver, Colorado. British Airways (www.ba.com) flies from the UAE via London from Dh3,700 return, including taxes. From there, transfers can be arranged to the ranch or it’s a seven-hour drive. Alternatively, take an internal flight to the counties of Cody, Casper, or Billings
The stay
Red Reflet offers a series of packages, with prices varying depending on season. All meals and activities are included, with prices starting from US$2,218 (Dh7,150) per person for a minimum stay of three nights, including taxes. For more information, visit red-reflet-ranch.net.
New Zealand T20 squad
New Zealand T20 squad: Tim Southee (captain), Finn Allen, Todd Astle, Hamish Bennett, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway (wicketkeeper), Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Ish Sodhi, Will Young
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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Museum of the Future in numbers
- 78 metres is the height of the museum
- 30,000 square metres is its total area
- 17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
- 14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
- 1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior
- 7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
- 2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
- 100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
- Dh145 is the price of a ticket
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
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The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
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Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Dunbar
Edward St Aubyn
Hogarth
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
CHINESE GRAND PRIX STARTING GRID
1st row
Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
2nd row
Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-GP)
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
3rd row
Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing)
4th row
Nico Hulkenberg (Renault)
Sergio Perez (Force India)
5th row
Carlos Sainz Jr (Renault)
Romain Grosjean (Haas)
6th row
Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
Esteban Ocon (Force India)
7th row
Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren)
8th row
Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso)
Sergey Sirotkin (Williams)
9th row
Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso)
Lance Stroll (Williams)
10th row
Charles Leclerc (Sauber)
arcus Ericsson (Sauber)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
More on animal trafficking
Sunday:
GP3 race: 12:10pm
Formula 2 race: 1:35pm
Formula 1 race: 5:10pm
Performance: Guns N' Roses
![Oscar-nominated Ben Hania says: "I thought it was about time to do something about a mother-daughter relationship [and] the inheritance of trauma". Photo: Tanit Films](https://www.thenationalnews.com/resizer/v2/YNVUREANHRDF3IERODUV7MDCRI.jpg?focal=1367%2C578&auth=6daf5f8bbc19b8bbfb2dce9760bc75c3a7887b636b4f399ec546561a00003e0b&width=800&height=450)
