JW3, Spiro Ark, in association with Harif, the UK Association of Jews from the Middle East and North Africa, are proud to present the London Premiere of this hugely successful documentary that has played to packed houses in France.
‘From the TGM to the TGV’ will be screened for one night only at JW3.
‘We are Tunisia and Tunisia is us’ is heard more than once in this lyrical portrait of a 2,000-year-old community now transplanted to France. Jews young and old, famous and unknown, from a well-known comedian to a humble seller of the distinctive tuna sandwich, ponder their identities. They exude the liveliness, humour and ‘joie de vivre’ typical of Tunisian Jews.
Two rail lines link their lives: The TGM is the coastal railway, chugging along from Tunis to the resort of La Goulette where Jews spent idyllic summers with Muslims, Italians, Maltese and French. But almost all Jews were made to leave and their property seized, although a last enclave of ‘pure Judaism’ remains on the island of Djerba.
The high speed French TGV railway represents their resettlement in overcrowded council housing in the Paris suburb of Sarcelles. But Tunisian Jews have now imprinted their mark on France as France has on them.
Directed by Ruggiero Gabbai, maker of ‘Starting Over Again’ about the Jews of Egypt (2015) and ‘Exodus from Libya’ about the Jews exiled from Libya (2017), who will be joining us for the post-film discussion.
