Introducing the Middle Eastern version of Wonder Woman

Based on a real life story, Al Ferjani plays a university student who ends up getting raped by a group of policemen after a night of partying. After repeated failed attempts to report her case to the authorities, she finds herself alone in her journey to fight for justice. If you'd like to know, her veil becomes a cape at the end of the movie. 

Directed by Kaouther Ben Hania, Al Ferjani was stumbled upon on social media. "Mariam [Al Ferjani] I found on Facebook. She was posting her photos and I found her face amazing, the kind of face that I love, you know, very special. I also contacted other actresses to be sure... Together we worked a lot, talked, talked, and talked", said Hania.

She was a medical student and dropped out after four years to enrol in acting and directing courses at the Civica Scuola di Cinema Luchino Visconti in Milan, where her diplomat father was based at the time.

The Tunisian actress starred in film maker Leyla Bouzid's 2012 graduation short, Soubresauts, about a mother's attempt to get to the bottom of the daughter's attack after a night out with friends. It was precisely because of this gig that made Al Ferjani pursue acting. “I felt so at home on the set, I decided that’s what I wanted to do". Other experimental shorts include The Claim and Wintry.

Besides the silver screen, Al Ferjani also has a following for her artsy self-portraits. She's known for inhibiting various fantasy characters against graphic backdrops. Her photos — that have been likened to the work of Cindy Sherman — were recently showcased at an exhibition titled 'Where Did We Meet Before?'.

We'll be expecting more of her work — this time behind the scenes — as she's writing the screenplay for her first feature-length film, Alya. The film will revolve around a young Tunisian woman with a passion for travel, but finds herself held back because of her gender and Arab origins.