Fathia Youssouf is a French actress born on 1st August 2006 in Finistere. Her family consists of mostly engineers, including both her parents. She is the only child to them but has friendly relations with her relatives.
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Fathia Youssouf | a star recognized in early 2020
Fathia Youssouf was discovered by the writer and director ‘Mamouna Doucoure’ after some posts of Fathia Youssouf captivated her. There and then, an announcement to cast Fathia Youssouf in a show was also updated on Facebook. Having been unimpressed by the casting candidates, she was entitled to choose the young Fathia Youssouf at that time. The public was informed about Fathia Youssouf after seeing her performance in the film Mignonnes, directed by Mamouna Doucouré.
The reaction of Fathia Youssouf on her selection
Fathia Youssouf says she was taken aback when she heard she had been selected for the role. The movie was the latest project initiated by director Maimouna Doucouré, who received a Cesar nomination in 2015 for her short film Maman.
After the appreciation of Fathia Youssouf in this film by many fans, she got a chance to be featured in the 2020 movie ‘Cuties’ which is inspired by her own experience as a pre-teen caught between the weight of tradition and the desire for independence.
This is a true story that is related to Fathia Youssouf’s childhood and it premiered on 27th October 2020 on Netflix. The pure, embellishing purity of Fathia Youssouf shatters the screen, even as the film highlights the transition from childhood to adolescence. Do take a look at the trailers for both movies and see if you end up becoming a fan of Fathia Youssouf.
The story of Cuties
This film portrays the story of an 11-year-old Muslim girl named Amy who uses dancing to get through her family’s sorrows and upsets. Fathia Youssouf stars alongside Medina El Aidi and Esther Gohourou in the lead role. Fathia Youssouf lives in one of the poorest neighborhoods in an apartment with her two brothers.
Amy is attracted to the twerking clique of disobedient neighbor Angelica, a dance troupe, unlike Mariam’s traditional and religious beliefs and practices. Netflix sold the streaming rights to this film in July while the movie was released in the theaters on August 19, 2020. There was huge controversy across the country regarding the thumbnail for this film which exposed young girls dancing in mini-shorts.
This further led to a public debate about whether the pose constituted child pornography. Despite the controversies, Mignonnes played by Fathia Yousouf, managed to be nominated for Best Female Promising Actor in recognition of her performance. A Special Mention was given by the International Jury for Cuties at the Berlin Film Festival, as well as Best Director at Sundance. In France, it has been nominated in every category at the 2021 Césars.
Thoughts of Fathia Youssouf in the acting profession
When Fathia Youssouf was cast in the show, she had no experience with acting. Her ambition was to be a journalist and it wasn’t in her wildest thoughts that she would star in a film. Yet, despite the innate sense of emotion and instinct to act, Fathia Youssouf was nominated for the Critics’ Choice Award for Most Promising Young Actress of 2021.
She is also one of the world’s top 20 performers, competing with major Hollywood stars like Sophia Loren and Viola Davis, following her appearance on the New York Times’ list. Despite only being 14 years old, Fathia Youssouf wishes to continue making movies as long as she enjoys getting offers.
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