Michel Boujenah (born 3 November 1952) is a French-

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

n Jewish

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

comedian A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertainment, entertain an audience by making them laughter, laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolishly (as in slapstick), or employing prop c ...

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

, and

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

Life and career

Michel Boujenah was born on 3 November 1952 in

Tunis Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...

, Tunisia. He is the brother of Paul Boujenah, a film director, and the uncle of actors Matthieu Boujenah and Lucie Boujenah. Boujenah has appeared in over thirty films as well as a variety of television productions. He has also directed the films '' Father and Sons'' (2003), ''Trois amis'' (2007), and '' Heartstrings'' (2016), and written screenplays for a number of others.

Controversy

In 2017, Boujenah's invitation to appear at a Tunisian cultural festival was protested by activists involved in the

Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) is a nonviolent Palestinian-led movement promoting boycotts, divestments, and economic sanctions against Israel. Its objective is to pressure Israel to meet what the BDS movement describes as Israel's ...

movement against Israel. While Boujenah is not Israeli, he has spoken positively about Israel and said "I feel Jewish, French, Tunisian, Zionist and very close to Israel, as well as a supporter of a Palestinian state." The Tunisian Association for the Support of Minorities defended Boujenah and accused boycott promoters of

antisemitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

Selected filmography

Director * '' Father and Sons'' (2003) * ''Trois amis'' (2007) * '' Heartstrings'' (2016)

Awards and nominations

* 1985 – won the

César Award for Best Supporting Actor List of winners and nominees of the César Award for Best Supporting Actor (). Winners and nominees 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s Multiple wins and nominations The following individuals received two or more Best Support ...

for ''

Three Men and a Cradle ''Three Men and a Cradle'' () is a 1985 French comedy film by Coline Serreau. The film was remade in Hollywood as ''Three Men and a Baby'' in 1987, which subsequently inspired nine adaptations in seven languages. Plot Jacques, Pierre, and Miche ...

'' * 1994 – nominated for the

César Award for Best Actor This is the list of winners and nominees of the César Award for Best Actor (). History Superlatives Winners 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s Multiple wins and nominations The following individuals received two or more Best ...

for '' Le Nombril du Monde'' * 2004 – nominated for the César Award for Best Debut for '' Father and Sons''

Honours

* : Officer of the Order of Cultural Merit (2004)Souvereign Ordonnance n° 16.513 of 18 November 2004
: promotions or nominations in the Order of Cultural Merit

References

External links

* * 1952 births Living people French male comedians French male film actors French male television actors French film directors French male screenwriters French screenwriters Writers from Tunis Officers of the Order of Cultural Merit (Monaco) French people of Tunisian-Jewish descent Best Supporting Actor César Award winners 20th-century French male actors 21st-century French male actors French Zionists {{screen-writer-stub