Raja Amari (Film director)

Raja Amari, born on April 4th 1971, is a well-known Tunisian film director and script writer, particularly for her films Satin Rouge/Red Satin (2002) and Dowaha/Les Secrets/Buried Secrets (2009), both of which have earned her international awards and recognition.

Raja Amari, born in Tunis, first gained recognition in 1992 when she earned first prize in dance at the Conservatoire de Tunis. She then furthered her studies by learning Italian at the Società Dante D'Alighieri and studying French Literature at the University of Tunis. For two years, she wrote for the film magazine Cinécrits, edited by the "Association Tunisienne pour la promotion de la critique cinematographic." Amari's studies continued in Paris at the FEMIS Institute where she earned her degree in screenwriting in 1998. She subsequently added to her film portfolio and two of her works, Satin Rouge and Buried Secrets, were featured at the Berlinale 2002 and Venice International Film Festival 2009 respectively.

Amari's film was the only film that did not make a clear judgement of the events and the characters' reactions. Instead Amari was able to capture a nuanced representation of Tunisia's social, political and religious issues, having "the power to complicate and humanise the untold stories from the revolution." Amari's transvergent style allows her to capture the global and local elements of the Tunisian Spring and her unique aesthetic allows her to evoke a sense of national identity. Her works have opened up new conversations and debates about the representation of women in Tunisian film and society, while also capturing the nuances of the social, political and religious issues surrounding the Tunisian Spring.