Finding Voice through Film Viewing: Tunisian Women Interpret Gendered Violence in Post-revolutionary Tunisia

Abstract

This paper reports on a 2019 study about female perception of violence against women (VAW) in post-revolutionary Tunisia triggered by their viewing of the Tunisian film, The Beauty and the Dogs (La Belle et La Meute).The year-long study began with a one-time, in depth interview with the female filmmaker, Kaouther Ben Hania, followed by field research that included eight film screening sessions and post-viewing protocols with small audiences of Tunisian women and adolescents living outside of main metropolitan areas in the southern Tunisia. The filmmaker’s interview elicited her thoughts about the motivation behind making the film and her ideas about the role of art in society. A post-viewing survey queried participants’ background and their reactions to the film; the small focus group discussions expanded upon the broader themes of VAW to everyday life. Slightly more than 100 females participated in the study. The analyses of the surveys and focus group interviews suggest that they have very particular opinions about what actions constitute gendered violence; what women and young girls’ behavior should be; and what kinds of initiatives are working to protect them from physical and sexual violence since the constitutional and legal reforms of 2014 and 2017.