Leïla Bekhti, Rachida Brakni, and the new place of Maghrebi-French actresses in French cinema

In France today, some of the most recognizable actors in cinema are of Maghrebi (North African) descent. Actors such as Jamel Debbouze, Roschdy Zem, Sami Bouajila, and Samy Naceri began building their careers in the 1990s and have since been cast in a variety of roles and participated in films that have achieved mainstream success. Only much more recently, however, have Maghrebi-French actresses gained access to equally diverse roles and started to enjoy some visibility in the French film industry. What factors have contributed to this disparity? In seeking to answer this question, the present article will begin by tracing the careers and film roles of Maghrebi-French actresses in the 1980s and 1990s, actresses who failed to achieve significant visibility and were often relegated to stereotyped roles that focused on the characters’ ethnic origins. Then, it will take as case studies the careers of two contemporary actresses, Rachida Brakni and Leïla Bekhti, which began in the early to mid-2000s and, I will argue, point to new developments in the industry. This analysis will consider key factors that have contributed to the respective actresses’ name recognition and successes, including the various kinds of cultural productions in which they have been involved, the roles that they have played and declined to play, and the treatment of the actresses in the media. When considered within a broad context, the careers of Brakni and Bekhti suggest that Maghrebi-French actresses are no longer relegated to the sidelines of French cinema or are limited to playing stereotyped roles

Art · Art history · Movie theater · African history and culture studies · French Historical and Cultural Studies · Political and Social Issues

• Racialised Voices of Maghrebi-French Women in Films

  Gaëlle Planchenault•Journal of Language and…•2020

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