| Bastardo | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Nejib Belkadhi | 
| Written by | Nejib Belkadhi | 
| Produced by | Imed Marzouk | 
| Starring | Abdel Moneem Chouayat | 
| Cinematography | Gergely Pohárnok | 
| Edited by | Pascale Chavance, Badi Chouka | 
| Music by | Lone Wolf (Paul Marshall)[1] | 
| Distributed by | Propaganda Production | 
Release date  | 
  | 
Running time  | 106 minutes | 
| Country | Tunisia | 
| Language | Arabic | 
Bastardo is a 2013 Tunisian drama film written and directed by Nejib Belkadhi. It was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival.[2][3]
Plot
Mohsen, "the bastard", was found in a dustbin 30 years ago by his adoptive father, and has always been rejected by the residents of the rundown district where he lives. When he is fired from his job, a mobile phone company comes to install a relay tower on the roof of his modest house in exchange for a monthly stipend, Bastardo has a reversal of fortune. The aerial makes Mohsen a wealthy and respected man, to the disgruntlement of the village mobster Larnouba.
Director Belkadhi says:
- "Power and corruption have been part of our lives for decades, and less than three years after the revolution, I am still wondering if we made it. Back in 2007, when I began writing the script, I had one thought in mind: my main character Bastardo shouldn’t choose power. It’s rather power that chooses him and radically changes him."[4]
 
Cast
- Abdel Moneem Chouayat as Mohsen Bastardo
 - Chedly Arfaoui as Larnouba
 - Lobna Noomene as Bent Essengra
 - Taoufik El Bahri as Khlifa
 - Lassad Ben Abdallah as Khadra
 - Issa Harath as Am Salah
 - Latifa El Gafsi
 - Ramzy Slim
 - Bilel Briki
 
Production
Bastardo received a grant from the Doha Film Institute in 2011.[5] The original, uncut version of the movie was 3 hours and 20 minutes' long.[6]
References
- ↑ "Lone Wolf". Retrieved 23 March 2014.
 - ↑ "Bastardo". TIFF. Archived from the original on 9 October 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
 - ↑ "Toronto Adds 75+ Titles To 2013 Edition". Indiewire. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
 - ↑ "Bastardo". January 2014. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
 - ↑ "Bastardo". Retrieved 23 March 2014.
 - ↑ "Film preview: Bastardo at Hyde Park Picture House, Leeds". 20 March 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2014.