The Island of Forgiveness(Film, 2022)

The Island of Forgiveness is a 2022 Tunisian-Italian drama film directed by Ridha Behi and starring Chedly Arfaoui, Badis Behi, and Mohamed Ali Ben Jemaa. The film follows Andrea Licari, a successful author and professor of Italian descent who returns to his birthplace of Djerba, Tunisia, to fulfill his mother's wish of scattering her ashes there. Along the way, he confronts his past traumas and seeks forgiveness for himself and others. The film premiered at the 44th Cairo International Film Festival, where it won the Silver Pyramid for Best Director and the Naguib Mahfouz Award for Best Screenplay. It also received six nominations at the 2022 Carthage Film Festival, including the Golden Tanit for Best Feature Film. The film was praised for its cinematography, music, and performances, especially by Chedly Arfaoui, who played the older Andrea. The film was inspired by Behi's own personal experience of returning to Tunisia after living abroad for many years. He co-wrote the script with Ziad Hamzeh, who also served as one of the producers. The film was shot on location in Djerba and Rome, ... ()