Leyla Bouzid

Leyla Bouzid is a screenwriter and director. She was born in Tunis in 1984. She went to study in France: Modern Literature at the Sorbonne (2003–2006) and then film directing at La Fémis (2006–2011). She directed two short films, “Soubresauts” and “Zakaria”. Both won awards at numerous festivals.

In 2014, she directed her first feature film, “À peine j’ouvre les yeux”. A portrait of Farah, an 18-year-old rock singer living under Ben Ali. The film won an award at the Venice Film Festival and received over forty international prizes.

Her second feature film, “Une histoire d’amour et de désir”, closed Critics’ Week at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. It follows the emotional coming-of-age of a shy young man, Ahmed, a Frenchman of Algerian origin. It earned Sami Outalbali a César nomination. Her screenplay was part of the 2016 Annual Selection.

Her third feature film, “À Voix Basse”, was in competition at the 2026 Berlinale. It is an intimate exploration of a household (in Sousse, Tunisia) where three generations of women live together.

Leyla also works as a co-screenwriter (Walid Mattar, Margot Gallimard) or script consultant (Marie-Sophie Chambon, Next Step and Le Groupe Ouest).

Une histoire d’amour et de désir

Sélection Annuelle 2016

Ahmed, 18, a Frenchman of Algerian descent, grew up in the Paris suburbs. At university, he meets Farah, a vibrant young Tunisian recently arrived in Paris. While discovering the sensual and erotic Arabic literature he never knew existed, Ahmed falls deeply in love with her. Athough he is completely overwhelmed by desire, he tries to resist it.