Nejib Belkadhi

Nejib Belkadhi, February 2015

Nejib Belkadhi (Arabic: نجيب بلقاضي; born May 11, 1972 in Tunis, Tunisia) is a Tunisian actor and director.

He studied marketing and management at the Institut des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (HEC) in Carthage, before he started a career in arts.

Nejib had his first acting role in Hbiba Msika (Dancer of the Flame), a film by Salma Baccar, in 1995. He then starred in Mohamed Kouka’s play Madrasat Nisaa (مدرسة النساء / The Women's School), however, Nejib's best success was in the series Khotab Albeb (الخطاب عالباب /Many Fiancees), appearing in both volumes 1 and 2 (1996-1998) for the director, Sleh Essid.

Nejib Belkadhi began his career in directing during 1998 on the TV network Canal+ Horizons, covering the Carthage Film Festival, before creating the network's most successful TV show: Chams Alik (شمس عليك ), whose concept revolutionized the Tunisian TV scene. He conceived, produced and co-presented the show from 1999 to 2001.

In 2002, he founded Propaganda Productions, with his friend Imed Marzouk, and in 2003 he directed and produced a socio-critical fake reality show called Dima Lebess (ديما لا باس /Always fine), which was broadcast on the Canal21 TV channel.

He directed his first movie in 2005, a short film called Tsawer (تصاور/Pic), with a screenplay of Souad Ben Slimane.

VHS Kahloucha (2006), his first feature documentary film, was screened to great acclaim at international film festivals, including Cannes (2006), Philadelphia (2007), Sundance l (2007) and Dubai (2007), and it was his most successful work to date.

His last movie, Bastardo, was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2013.

External links

• Biography from the Sharjah Art Foundation
• Actor/Director's Profile on NYTimes.com
• Interview with Nejib Belkadhi on Indiewire
• Nejib Belkadhi's Movie Bastardo in TIFF-festival 2013