— Cinema · Director & Screenwriter

Every film
begins with
a person.

My work spans fiction films, feature documentaries, and series. I approach fiction through performance — working closely with actors to bring depth and truth to their roles — and documentary through real communities and untold stories. As director and screenwriter, I craft stories whether through written scripts or by capturing life as it unfolds.

Director's Reel Thirty years of work, in motion
— 01 / Trailers
Tunis by Night (Tunis Ellil) Feature · 2017 · 91mn · Best Actor, Cairo IFF
Rouge Parole Feature Doc · 2011 · 94mn · Best African Doc, AALA Milan
Lost in Tunisia Feature Doc · 2016 · 70mn
Cairo 30th Feature Doc · 2015 · 70mn
— 02 / Current Projects

In development.

Two feature films in progress, produced under Kantara Pictures.

— Feature · In development

Candid Dreams

Working title: Mean Time · 140′

Candid Dreams is a feature film set in Los Angeles that weaves together stories of women, immigration, and resilience in today's America. Shot across the city with a cast of over 40 actors, the film captures the raw texture of urban life and the intimate struggles of characters searching for freedom, belonging, and dignity. Through intersecting narratives, it reflects on the human cost of displacement and the enduring power of hope.

View on IMDb→
— Official teaser
Candid Dreams poster
Miseria poster
— Feature · In development

Miseria

Feature · 140′

A talented Tunisian boxer fighting to save her diabetic father and pursue her Olympic dream must choose between protecting the corrupt system that trapped her or exposing the truth at the cost of everything she loves.

View on IMDb→
— 03 / Filmography · Director
Features — Fiction
2025 Candid Dreams 148mn · Fiction
2017 Tunis by Night (Tunis Ellil) 91mn · DCP
Best Actor · Cairo IFF 2017
2006 Hia w'Houa (She & He) 80mn · 35mm · Fiction
Documentaries
2025 Bridges (Doc. Series) InMedia+ · KSA · 3 seasons · 90 ep · 26′
2016 Lost in Tunisia 70mn
2015 Cairo the 30th 70mn
2011 Rouge Parole 94mn
Best African Doc · AALA Milan
2009 Wailing Wall 120mn
Jury Prize · O'cean FF 2009
2007 Music Says 30mn
Special Prize · Al Jazeera 2008
2007 Hissar 30mn
2007 The Indian Butterfly 2 × 26mn
2006 Oshak Mevlana 52mn
2006 Mira School 52mn
2006 Six Days in Pakistan Documentary
2005 Pakistan 7.6 Golden Award · Al Jazeera 2006
Elyes Baccar directing
Elyes Baccar writing
— 04 / Screenwriting

The written work.

Features and series, written alone and in collaboration — developing concepts that merge personal narratives with broader social themes.

2024WaadFeature
2023Candid DreamsFeature
2022MiseriaFeature
—The WeddingFeature
—JaduLimited TV Series
2021HabibiTV Series · co-writers S. Cooper, H. Ayoub, H. Noor
—King IdrissTV Series · co-writers C. Mabkhout, K. Ben Salah
2020Winter in Red HookFeature · co-writer Levi Bailey
—The OfferingFeature · co-writer Marc McKennon
—Moovma20 ep · co-writer K. Ben Salah
—8 HoursLimited TV · co-writer F. Petit Jean
2019Rania's WeddingFeature · 100mn · Tunisia
—Desert HeartFeature · co-writer F. Petit Jean
2018The Simple Life of SarahFeature
—ShatriFeature
2017Tunis by NightFeature · 91mn · Produced
2007She & HeFeature · 80mn · 35mm · Produced
— 05 / Earlier work

Where it began.

— Assistant directing

International productions

Assistant director on international productions shot in Tunisia — among them Star Wars. Cinema learned on set, from the inside.

— Short films

Early shorts

A series of short films directed between 1996 and 2006 — the first laboratory of the work: L'Impasse du temps perdu (1996), Souviens-toi (1998), Porté disparu, and 7,6 Pakistan (2006).

— Stage & commercial

Plays & commercials

Stage plays directed in Tunisia and commercials produced internationally — early experiments in directing performance.

— 06 / Biography

In brief.

Born in Tunisia and now based in Atlanta, Elyes Baccar is an award-winning director and screenwriter of feature films, documentaries, and series. He studied directing at the CLCF in Paris, trained with the FEMIS program, and completed the Cultural Manager Program at the Goethe-Institut in Berlin.

He began as an assistant director on Tunisian and international productions — among them Star Wars and Desert of Fire — before directing his first feature, She & He, in 2006. Rouge Parole and Tunis by Night followed, both critically acclaimed and awarded at international festivals.

He founded ACTIF, a cultural NGO in Tunisia, created the International Human Rights Film Festival, and served as the first president of FACT, the UNESCO forum of Tunisian cultural associations. In 2025 he shot Candid Dreams, his first feature produced in the United States.

— Collaborations

For film projects,
let's talk.

For collaborations, co-productions, or festival programming — write to me directly.

Begin a conversation