Tunisia - Tunis - From Medina To Metropolis (33/151)

Tunisia - Tunis - From Medina To Metropolis (33/151)

Tunesia is mainly prized among tourists for its warm beaches in winter. However, few know the capital of Tunis is well worth a trip of its own, not just because of the artists' quarter of Sidi-Bou-Said or the ruins of ancient Carthage. The grand avenues of Tunis are lined by Art Déco buildings. Nearby lies the historic Medina quarter with hundreds of old palaces and a jumble of arched alleyways in the souks, with their typical artisans' shops and merchants' markets. The filmmaker met proud Tunisians who love their Medina quarter and do everything they can to preserve it. She meets artists and artisans, merchants and middle-class citizens as well as a Bey, a descendant of the last noble rulers of Tunesia, who had to step down in the middle of the last century. From the brothers who run a weaver's shop to the female manager of a gourmet restaurant, to the famous painter to the equally famous female choreographer at a dance festival - they all seem to feel deeply rooted in their city, on the cutting edge between East and West.