Majd Mastoura
Born
Menzel Abderrahmane, Tunisia
NationalityTunisian
OccupationActor
Years active2014–present
AwardsSilver Bear for Best Actor 2016

Majd Mastoura is a Tunisian film actor and translator. At the 66th Berlin International Film Festival he won the Silver Bear for Best Actor for his role in the film Hedi.[1][2][3]

Early life and career

Majd Mastoura was born in Menzel Abderrahmane, Bizerte, to a military officer father and a classical Arabic teacher mother. Since a young age Mastoura was exposed to theatre, literature and politics. He is an avid reader of literary works. Khalil Gibran and Naghib Mahfouz are among his favourites.

Film career

In 2012, he started the first spoken-word event in his country, which he dubbed "Street Word". He worked on these events with his close friend Amine Gharbi. These events carried on until 2014, which marked the last version of "Street Word".[4]

In 2013, Majd was given his first role in Bidoun 2, which was his first feature film.[5] In 2015, Majd auditioned for the role of Hedi, which he landed and was eventually awarded the Silver bear in the 66th Berlinale.[6]

Writing and translation

Majd also writes in Tunisian Arabic (derja) as a way to show support to his compatriots. In the beginning he kept his writings to himself, then he started submitting them to writing competitions in 2009.[4]

He also translated the French philosophical work La chose publique into Tunisian.[7] He explains his choice to translate into Tunisian Arabic (rather than Standard Arabic) by his emotional relationship to the language (here referred to as dārja, meaning "common"): "My relationship with Tunisian dārja is like that of any Tunisian, I speak in dārja, I think in dārja, and I dream in dārja." He explains that, although French and Standard Arabic are part of his linguistic repertoire,  "whenever a word comes out of my mouth spontaneously —from surprise or dismay or pleasure or pain—it comes out in dārja."[8]

Selected filmography

References

  1. ↑ "Prizes of the International Jury". Berlinale. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  2. ↑ Veza, Ed (20 February 2016). "Berlin: 'Fire at Sea' Wins Golden Bear for Best Film". Variety. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  3. ↑ "Berlin film festival: Fire at Sea wins Golden Bear". BBC News. 20 February 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  4. 1 2 McCormick-Cavanagh, Conor (14 March 2016). "For the martyrs: Actor uses prize to salute Tunisian revolution". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 25 December 2017.
  5. ↑ "Tunisian Majd Mastoura named Best Arab Actor at Cannes Film Festival". The Arab Weekly. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  6. ↑ Roxborough, Scott (20 February 2016). "Berlin Film Festival: The Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  7. ↑ Dujardin, Philipe (2017). الشان العام هو اللي يلمنا [Public matters are what bind us] (in Arabic). Translated by Mastoura, Majd. Tunis: Dār al-Janūb.
  8. ↑ Benrjeb, Rim (12 July 2018). "الترجمة بالدارجة التونسيّة: أي دوافع واشكاليات لهذه الموجة الجديدة؟" [Translation into Tunisian derja: Motives and problems of this new trend]. Nawaat (in Arabic). Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  9. ↑ AfricineORG Dakar (13 May 2015), Trailer HD Bidoun 2 - بيدون 2, retrieved 21 February 2016
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