Dora Bouchoucha
Patron of La Fabrique Cinéma 2023 de l'Institut français
In the world of film, who doesn’t dream of going to Cannes? My first experience wasn’t exactly a walk in the park, I wasn’t aware of the social codes, got lost in the Palace’s labyrinths and thrown off the red carpet.
Over the years, I have become a regular thanks to my work as a producer, mentor and festival director. I have discovered the festival’s mysteries and learnt how to navigate its world.
The past decade has been one of intense emotions, with the selection to the Directors’ Fortnight of Weidi, the feature film by Mohamed Ben Attia who I have been accompanying as producer since the beginning of his career; to the Official Selection of Souad, the Egyptian feature film which I co-produced; and the various selections of films I have accompanied during their screenwriting and production as part of the Southern Writing Workshops (Ateliers Sud Écriture).
Many of these films also took part in La Fabrique Cinéma de l’Institut français, and to be patron this year is in keeping with the annual mentorship I began in 1997, dedicated to the development of African and Arab film.
My ambition has not changed, it is to give a helping hand to young filmmakers from countries where to make a film is a challenge, a truly tall order, and I thank La Fabrique for their relentless support for these efforts.
In 2023, Dora Bouchoucha, patron of La Fabrique Cinéma, will accompany 10 directors in the development of their first or second feature film.
