Mobile cinema brings Tunisians big screen experience

Like many of his fellow Tunisians, 23-year-old Amine Elhani has never been to the cinema. He can finally enjoy the big screen thanks to a mobile theatre touring the country.

CinemaTdour, or "moving cinema," is a bright red truck that has transformed parking lots and factory grounds in underserved towns and neighborhoods across North Africa into pop-up theatres.

In the central town of Djemmal, dozens of workers unloaded the expandable truck and quickly set up a fully equipped outdoor movie theatre with 100 seats.

"The screen is huge, and the sound effects are amazing," said Elhani, who had only watched films on his phone or computer.

He had "never had the chance to go to a movie theatre," he told AFP.

"It's a fantastic experience, especially because I'm watching with friends."

Movie theatres are scarce in Tunisia, numbering just 15, and primarily concentrated in major urban hubs.

Recognizing this gap, CinemaTdour was launched in May by the private cultural network Agora and nonprofit Focus Gabes, with funding from private donors.

"We wanted a way to reach as many viewers as possible, in a short time and on a limited budget, while offering them an authentic cinematic experience," project director Ghofrane Heraghi told AFP.

Workers from a local cable factory prepare to watch a film inside an itinerant CinemaTdour truck cinema, in the city of Djemmal in Tunisia's Monastir Governorate on December 5, 2024. "If you can't go to the cinema, it will come to you"; that would be a fitting motto for CinemaTdour, a traveling film truck that crisscrosses Tunisia to make the seventh art accessible to everyone, from rural areas to impoverished neighborhoods. AFP

Mobile cinemas have long existed in other countries, but Heraghi said CinemaTdour was "unique" for turning a truck into a full-fledged theatre.

Without government funding, CinemaTdour relies heavily on partnerships with private companies to cover costs such as film rights, maintenance, and staffing.

Heraghi said the truck was purchased on credit for about one million Tunisian dinars ($315,000), with annual operating expenses of around 500,000 dinars.

For 10 days, residents of Djemmal could watch films for free thanks to a partnership with Draxlmaier, a German car parts manufacturer with a factory in the town.

Jihene Ben Amor, Draxlmaier's communications manager in Tunisia, said the company wanted to "contribute to the development" of remote and underserved regions where it operates.

For many workers earning up to 1,000 dinars a month, the cost of tickets and the journey to a prominent city with a movie theatre can be prohibitive.

"Having this cinema right outside their workplace also gives workers a sense of pride and belonging," said Ben Amor.

'Social impact'

After Djemmal, CinemaTdour was set up in Hay Hlel, an impoverished neighborhood of Tunis.

Many children gathered around the pop-up theatre, eager for their turn.

Yomna Warhani, 11, was beaming excitedly, anticipating her first-ever movie screening.

"I can't wait to see what it's like inside and what films they'll show," she said.

Nejiba El Hadji, a 47-year-old mother of four, said: "It's not just the kids who are thrilled, believe me."

To her, the mobile cinema was a rare source of joy in an otherwise bleak environment.

"We have nothing here, no cultural centers and no entertainment, just the streets," said Hadji.

"People say our kids are lost, but no one does anything about it."

Director of the CinemaTdour traveling cinema project Ghofrane Heraghi talks to AFP during an interview at L'Agora cultural center, in La Marsa near Tunis on December 4, 2024. "If you can't go to the cinema, it will come to you"; that would be a fitting motto for CinemaTdour, a traveling film truck that crisscrosses Tunisia to make the seventh art accessible to everyone, from rural areas to impoverished neighborhoods.AFP

CinemaTdour's two-week stay in Hay Hlel was funded by the World Health Organization, with screenings themed on mental health, smoking and drug abuse, and violence against women.

The shows were tailored for younger audiences and viewers with hearing or visual impairments.

Heraghi, the project head, said, "What drives us is the social impact of culture."

"We want to break stereotypes, shift mindsets, and promote values like social cohesion and community spirit."

In just a few months, CinemaTdour reached more than 15,000 people, including 7,500 in the southern oasis town of Nefta, where a date exporter sponsored free screenings.

The project now hopes to secure funding for additional trucks to expand its activities across the country.

But Heraghli has even bigger aspirations, she said, "taking it to Algeria, Libya, and maybe even across Africa".