Taḥta aš-šajara (Under the fig trees)
In late summer, in an orchard in northwestern Tunisia, a group of girls and women work to harvest figs. Under the gaze of workers and older men, the girls flirt, tease, discuss men, and argue.
Throughout the day, the orchard becomes a theater of emotion, a place where the dreams and hopes of a freer modern generation pass alongside one more anchored in tradition.
Throughout the day, the orchard becomes a theater of emotions, a place where the dreams and hopes of a freer modern generation pass alongside one more anchored in traditions.
The director: “Showing one day with different generations is like showing a whole life. I think the whole film is about gathering and capturing something so deeply genuine: these stories, these life paths, these specific places, as I encountered them while visiting different fig orchards. Some of the characters showed up as we were rehearsing. I never gave them written dialogue, they were simply given the trajectories of their characters and the various relationships they had with each other during the day, as well as what was planned for each scene and how it was structured. Then they improvised with all this and I rewrote accordingly. They used their own words, the way they spoke, speaking with the accent that I know so well, because that’s how my father speaks.”
The film has been a guest at numerous festivals, including the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, the
Toronto International Film Festival, the 78th Venice International Film Festival, the Melbourne International Film Festival, and the BFI London Film Festival.
Taḥta aš-šajara (Il frutto della tarda estate)
Erige Sehiri
Tunisia, France, Germany, Switzerland, Qatar 2022
90’
Director
Erige Sehiri is a French-Tunisian director and producer. With her production company, Henia Production, she develops documentaries directed by Tunisian authors who have distinguished themselves at Visions du Réel, Idfa, Cinemed.
In 2018 his documentary “Railway Men,” which remained six weeks in Tunisian theaters, is a success. In 2021 he wrote, directed and produced his first fiction feature, “The Fruit of Late Summer” (Under the Fig Trees), which won several post-production awards at the Venice International Film Festival (Final Cut in Venice). The film was then admitted selection of the 54th Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes 2022, and was the Oscar entry for Tunisia in the Best International Film category for 2023.
