The "Fernand Séguin" hall at the Quebec Cinema Museum in Montreal yesterday Saturday hosted the first screening of the documentary by Canadian-Libyan director Sarah Ben Saoud.

A large audience attended to watch the film "À toi Jeddi" which was screened at the 42nd edition of the "Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma" festival.

Colette Lomide, the long documentary programmer for this festival, could not hide her admiration for the crowded hall and thanked the attendees for coming. "Oh my God! A full hall like this in the afternoon with this beautiful sun! Thank you for your attendance."

Among the attendees were the film crew, friends, festival regulars, the director, and her family.

The latter came not only to support the young director, but also because the documentary revolves around the family itself.

Sarah Ben Saoud was born to a Quebec mother from the Abitibi region and a Libyan father who came to study at the University of Ottawa in the eighties, and she grew up in an environment dominated by Quebec culture.

In an interview with Radio Canada International, she says that she realized her multiple identity during the Arab Spring.

At that time, even though she was still a child, she saw her father posting on Facebook wishing for Muammar Gaddafi’s departure.

"I saw my father taking a stand on Facebook for the first time. He was talking about something important but I did not understand it," she recalled in her conversation.

She began asking questions about this revolution, about Gaddafi, and its origins.

The high school period also brought its share of questions. "In high school, we were already divided into groups [formed around the origin of the students] and I was trying to understand why I was not part of this group [of Maghrebis]," added the cinema graduate from the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM).

Sarah Ben Saoud’s grandfather had written his memoirs for a long time. He narrated his daily life in Libya and Tunisia, where he lived. Influenced by his writings, the 25-year-old director traveled to Tunisia and filmed her first documentary "À toi Jeddi".

She stayed there for four months and learned the basics of the Arabic language. This stay allowed her to share the customs and traditions of her father’s family and visit the places her grandfather described in his memoirs. She documented her journey with her camera.

This film allowed her to reconnect with her Maghrebi roots.

"It’s really a search for identity. I went to look for parts of myself that I did not yet know," she says.

"It has always been difficult for me to understand what it means to be Arab, and how to be proud of it. I grew up with many prejudices around me. Through this documentary, I allow myself to celebrate the different cultures I carry," she confirmed.