Doha Film Institute (DFI)-funded film Backstage poster
Doha, Qatar: Doha Film Institute (DFI)-funded film Backstage clinched the “Cinema & Arts” Award at the 80th Venice Film Festival.
The film, directed by Afef Ben Mahmoud and Khalil Benkirane, Backstage offers a captivating glimpse into the world of contemporary dance.
Director Mahmoud took to Instagram to share the news, stating: “We are thrilled to announce that our film Backstage has won the prize ‘Cinema and Arts’ at the 80th Venice International Film Festival. This prestigious award was granted to us by the ACCADEMIA ELEONORA DUSE Centro Sperimentale di Cinema e Arti Performative.”
“It’s an immense honour, and we would like to express our deepest gratitude. A big thank you to the entire team involved in this film, including our producers, actors, and technicians, for their dedication and talent.”
Backstage achieved the distinction of Best Film in the category, sharing the spotlight with “Making Of” by Cédric Kahn. Additionally, a Special Mention was attributed to the accomplished multidisciplinary artist Chong Keat Aun, the Director of “Snow in Midsummer.”
The “Cinema & Arts” Award is under the Collateral Awards category of the Venice Film Festival, independently bestowed by association of film critics, clubs, cultural associations, and cinema professionals.
In an interview with Giornate degli Autori, an independent sidebar of the Venice Film Festival, Afef Ben Mahmoud provided insights into the film’s conception. She shared that the idea for Backstage was born during the making of her previous short film when a friend played a music, inspiring an early morning dance session.
Drawing from her own background in dance, she felt compelled to explore the lives of seemingly ordinary people who, in reality, are extraordinary dancers. The film embarks on a journey that mirrors her own experiences in the world of dance and theater, delving into the complexities of creating a family within the performing arts community.
“The idea is to start with the show with a dancer but after that, to go in a road movie to deconstruct this beauty that we start with and to go deep and deep, and closer to our character to these people, to this normal person – to understand what motivates them, who are them and what life can do and what life can bring,” she explained.
Meanwhile, Khalil Benkirane stressed that Backstage initially portrays a world of spectacle, where everything appears flawless, from the actors to the choreography, costumes, and lighting. However, the essence of the film lies in its ability to deconstruct this perfection and reveal the shared humanity that unites these remarkable individuals with the rest of us.
“The film is about how to deconstruct and bring these people back to a certain humanity by being that they are similar to all of us.”
Backstage revolves around the contemporary Tunisian dance troupe “Without Borders,” concluding a tour in Morocco. During a performance in an Atlas Mountains town, a heated altercation between Aida and Hedi, both life and stage partners, ends in injury before the startled eyes of their fellow troupe members. Urgent medical attention becomes imperative, propelling them on a journey to locate the only available doctor in the area, with the hope of salvaging their final performance.
