AfricAvenir and the Franco Namibian Cultural Centre (FNCC) present the Namibian premiere of the 2002 Tunisian film, Satin Rouge, from director-screenwriter Raja Amari on 16 May at 6.30pm. The screening, which is courtesy of the Institut Francaise, takes place at the FNCC, 118 Robert Mugabe Avenue and entrance is free.
Satin Rouge is Amari’s debut feature and is set in Tunisia. The film deals directly with the sexual experiences of a middle-aged woman, Lilia, a widow who wants to live her life over. Her teenage daughter is becoming interested in boys and integrating more western ways into her lifestyle. One night, while trying to monitor her daughter’s nocturnal activities, Lilia inadvertently discovers a cabaret. She is both shocked and fascinated to find women belly dancing in skimpy outfits, but begins to frequent the cabaret nightly. The other dancers befriend her and before she knows it, she’s belly-button deep in the club scene herself. As the plot thickens and romances develop, Lilia and her daughter both find themselves learning more about life than either of them bargained for.
Raja Amari was born in 1971, in Tunis, Tunisia. She graduated from La Femis (Paris). Satin Rouge won the Public Prize for the Best African Film at the Montreal World Film Festival, and the New Director’s Showcase Award at the Seattle International Film Festival.
