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The Secret Manuscript

During the period of the Bourguiba and Ben Ali regime and after the Jasmine Revolution (January 14, 2011), several Tunisian documents of a historical nature were subjected to looting and theft, during which recent security investigations proved the involvement of many administrators and supervisors of Tunisian libraries and museums in their neglect of rare manuscripts, drawings and books. Invaluable to well-known foreigners to sell at auctions.

  • Wajdi Moussa
    Director
  • Wajdi Moussa
    Writer
  • Wajdi Moussa
    Producer
  • Mohamed Bennani
    Key Cast
    "Conservator of Books and Manuscripts"
    Library Beit El Bennani (The House of Bennani)
  • Zouheir Ben Youssef
    Key Cast
    "Director of Research Laboratory in Faculty of Human and Social Sciences "
    University of Tunis
  • Abdelhafidh Mansour
    Key Cast
    "Specialist in the Historical Documents and Manuscripts"
    National Library of Tunisia
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    8 minutes 5 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 11, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    7,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Tunisia
  • Country of Filming:
    Tunisia
  • Language:
    Arabic
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Journées Cinématographiques Internationales du Film du Patrimoine
    Algiers
    Algeria
    October 29, 2023
    North African Premiere
    Official Selection
Distribution Information
  • Gorilla Production
    Distributor
    Country: Tunisia
    Rights: Theatrical
Director Biography - Wajdi Moussa

Wajdi Moussa born October 8, 1990 in Korba, is a Tunisian Director, Screenwriter and Producer. He studied at the Institut International de Langues et des Arts De Communication (I.I.L.A.C) from 2016 to 2018. In 2019, he obtained a certificate from (I.I.L.A.C) speciality Filmmaking. After various internships in audiovisual and directing, he became assistant director on several shoots in a Tunisia and abroad and took part in scriptwriting workshops in Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. From an early age, Moussa was fascinated by Classical Maghrebian Culture and by storytelling. In 2018, he completed his first film, The Secret Manuscript, shot in his hometown of Korba and featuring the cultural setting and Historical overtones that would figure prominently in his later work. Released in 2021, his first short film, Daghbaji, garnered national acclaim. The film, which tells the story of life of one of the most important symbols of armed resistance in Tunisia (Mohamed Daghbaji). Moussa's second film, The Poet's Diary, was released in 2023. The dialogue of the film is in Classical Arabic, which traces the life of one of the most important symbols of romantic Poetry in Arab World (Aboul-Qacem Echebbi). He works as assistant director with several Algerian and Tunisian films. In addition to his work as an artist and filmmaker, Moussa has performed as a storyteller at the Madrasa Slimania, and has produced work for Tunisian radio and television. He is the author of a number of books, including several for literatural. Moussa is a member of the Association of Tunisian Film Directors (A.R.F.T) and the Tunisian Association for the Promotion of Film Criticism (A.T.P.C.C).

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Director Statement

Is investigation documentary amazing reveals the facts of the disappearance of manuscripts and ancient documents in Tunisia before and after the Tunisian Revolution.