Férid Boughedir, Tunisian director, cinema critic and African cinema specialist, was invited to Beijing to take part in the Francophonie Film Festival to present his film "A summer at La Goulette" (1996) to the Chinese audience.

The film deals with the friendship and cohabitation of different cultures and religions (Islam, Catholicism and Judaism) in the 1970s, just before the 6 days war started in the Middle East. The story evolves around three teenage girls who have bet that they will lose their virginity on the same day, the 15th of August.

"A summer at La Goulette" has been, and still is, a big success in Tunisia, the population enjoying one of the few local film which is screened in the Tunisian cinemas.

During his time spent in Beijing from March 13 to March 24, Férid Boughedir organised a conference around the African and Arab cinema with Mansour Sora Wade, Senegalese director who was also invited by the Francophonie Film Festival and Zhang Xianmin, francophone Chinese teacher from Beijing Film Academy as mediator.

The conference was a very interesting discussion explaining  the difficulties for African directors to produce films and live from their art as their government don't support their productions. African cinema is still not known enough and difficult to optain in China, but the audience was very eager to expend their knowledge on the matter.  

A Tunisian evening, organised by the Tunisian embassy was organised in
the honour of Férid Boughedir at the Canadian International School
before the screening of "A summer at La Goulette", in front of 200 persons, including a few francophone embassadors.

Now back in his home country, Férid Boughedir will have time to work on
his new project, and maybe will come back to China in a few years with
his new film.