Néjia Ben Mabrouk (born 1 July 1949) is a Tunisian screenwriter and director, known for her work on the award-winning film Sama and on the documentary The Gulf War... What Next?.
[citation needed] Ben Mabrouk was born at El Oudiane, Tunisia, in 1949 and attended boarding school at Sfax.
[1]: 380 Concerning her career plans growing up, she explains: At that time I didn't want to make my own films, perhaps because there were no role models of women as filmmakers.
[1]: 380 During her college years, Ben Mabrouk first studied French at Tunis University, but had to leave after a few semesters for financial reasons.
[4] Sama contains autobiographical elements from Ben Mabrouk's life, and tells the story of a young Tunisian girl seeking an education, which she eventually finds exiled in Europe.