Born in Zarzis, a town in southeastern Tunisia, Mohamed ZRAN comes from a modest family. He was in his first year of school when his father emigrated to France. After outstanding secondary studies, the temptation of immigration pulled him away from his hometown, Zarzis, and from his country, like many young people of his generation. Arriving in Paris, he enrolled at Villetaneuse University to study mathematics and physics, but did not complete the academic year. In Paris, Mohamed ZRAN refused conformity. He spent his early years searching for his true vocation, gradually realizing that cinema was the field best suited to his personality and ambitions. His first cinematic experience, Le Casseur de Pierres (1989), selected for Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival, was a faithful and sincere portrayal of the lives of internal migrants. In Mohamed ZRAN’s work, the figure of man both in his emotional dimension and in his humility is ever-present, as evidenced by his film Y’A NABIL (1993), a powerful call for love. Following this journey, he suddenly developed a concern that turned into a passion, ultimately inspiring the film ESSAÏDA, which won more than 15 international awards. The originality of the screenplay lies in its spontaneity and its meticulous, responsible observation. ESSAÏDA is a subtle blend of everyday life and dream, bringing characters together by focusing on each individual’s concerns, ultimately forming a complementary and vibrant whole that reflects the life of the ordinary man. Then came the year 2000, a moment suspended between two millennia. Urgency demanded the fixing of images as witnesses of our time. Thus, with Chant du Millénaire, he embarked on an initiatory journey into the heart of rural Tunisia, giving voice to Tunisians from overlooked regions, simple people who sustain life. The film was selected in the Panorama section at the Berlin Film Festival in 2003 and won Best Documentary at the Trebucha Festival in New York in 2003. This was followed by Le Prince, the story of a young suburban florist who sees an important woman pass by every day and one day decides to win her over, despite all obstacles. Then in 2009 came Being Here, a 125-minute documentary that won the Grand Prize at the Dubai International Film Festival in 2003. This was followed by Lilia, A Tunisian Girl, which received six nominations at the London Independent International Film Festival, including Best Leading Actor. Then came Dégage, a feature-length documentary on the Tunisian revolution, followed by Mon Ami, a fiction feature film shot in a single 85-minute continuous take.