For ELLE France, Camilla Armbrust c/o SHOTVIEW A.M. photographed French actress Hafsia Herzi in her hometown of Marseille. Hamburg-based RETOUCHED STUDIOS was responsible for post-production of the celebrity spread.
Hafsia Herzi was born in 1987, the youngest of six children in an Algerian-Tunisian family, and grew up in humble circumstances north of Marseille. She was discovered in 2005 by French director Abdellatif Kechiche, who was casting in Marseille for his film "Couscous with Fish." Herzi received the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actress for the film and the César Award in the same category in 2008.
Hafsia now lives in Paris and, in addition to acting, directs herself: "The César-award-winning actress caused a sensation at the Cannes Film Festival with "La Petite Dernière," her third film as a director. Hafsia Herzi talks about her Marseille, her mother Messaouda, her two children, and this sensitive cinema that resembles life." ELLE France about the interview published in the magazine.
'La Petite Dernière,' adapted from the autobiographical novel by Fatima Daas, tells the story of the heartbreak of a young girl from a low-income apartment who grew up in a practicing Muslim family and is attracted to women.
In 2025, her feature film 'The Youngest Daughter' (=La petite dernière) was invited to the main competition at the 78th Cannes Film Festival. Actress Nadia Melliti was honored with the Best Actor Award at the festival, and the film was greeted with minutes of standing ovation.
The film is a production of the French company June Films (production: Julie Billy, Naomi Denamur) and the German Katuh Studio (Vanessa Ciszewski), as well as ZDF/ARTE France.