Franco-Tunisian movie and TV entrepreneur might be celebrated by Variety with its International Achievement in Film Award on the Cannes Film Festival.
An infallible dealmaker, resourceful problem-solver and filmmaker-friendly bon vivant, Ammar has performed a pivotal, but typically behind-the-scenes position, in constructing cultural and cinematic bridges between Europe, the U.S. and the Arab world over the past 50 years.
Ammar, whose Eagle Pictures is at the moment Italy’s prime unbiased movie distributor and a rising manufacturing drive, additionally owns France’s Studios de Paris, dwelling of “Emily in Paris,” and is energetic in Saudi Arabia the place he just lately launched a movie fund.
Ammar started his profession in Italy and Tunisia within the late Sixties. He shortly grew to become an ally to iconic filmmakers resembling Roberto Rossellini, Georges Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Franco Zeffirelli. He opened the doorways of Tunisia to the movie world, serving to construct an business there from scratch whereas facilitating the productions of movies sush as “Star Wars,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Jesus of Nazareth” and “La Traviata,” amongst others. After transferring to France, Ammar in 2007 returned to his movie roots and purchased Italian indie distributor Eagle Pictures which has since then turn into his flagship movie outfit and is Paramount and Sony’s Italian theatrical distributor.
On the indie manufacturing facet Eagle scored Italy’s greatest native hit of 2024 with Margherita Ferri’s teen drama “The Boy With Pink Trousers,” a few 15-year-old who took his personal life after enduring bullying in school and on-line. In phrases of ticket gross sales, it’s even beat Hollywood heavyweights resembling “Wicked,” “Dune 2,” “Gladiator 2” and “Venom 3.”
“Tarak has been a passionate supporter and champion of independent films,” stated Variety’s Co-Editor-in-Chief Ramin Setoodeh. “He is actually deserving of this honor and Variety appears ahead to toasting him in Cannes.
Ammar might be honored by Variety on May 15 at 4pm on the Majestic Hotel, Salon Croisette.