Dhia
Directing
Dhia developed a passion for filmmaking during his first years studying economics. Self-taught, he began by producing music videos and short films before gradually moving into documentary directing with Repères & Vocations.
The association
Repères
& Vocations
Repères & Vocations is an initiative launched by a team of young people with different stories and backgrounds, united by the same quest: to stand at the crossroads of people's histories and explore the mysteries of human nature.
Young people for whom the search for bearings gives shape to a calling.
Every encounter they bring back from the far reaches of the world is guided by the same enduring ambition: learning to see the humanity within each and every one of us.
What do the Bosniaks, the Hui people of China, the Harari of Ethiopia and the Cham people of Cambodia have in common? Living as minorities far from the major centres of Islamic civilisation, they have found creative ways to preserve their faith and identity.
Since 2015, the Repères & Vocations team has been travelling to meet Muslim communities at the edges of the world in a documentary road trip entitled Unexpected Muslims. The project seeks to reveal the cultural mosaic that makes up Islamic civilisation.
Through our journeys and encounters, we seek to understand how each of these peoples has preserved its cultural distinctiveness in relation to an Islam shaped by Arab influence, while maintaining its Islamic heritage within the wider society in which it lives.
The people behind the project
The team
Gabriel
Documentary research
Passionate about history and travel, Gabriel leads the documentary research ahead of each journey. After studying political science and international business, he worked with a consulting firm in Tunisia during the Arab Spring. His many journeys around the Mediterranean have given him a deeper understanding of the region and helped him develop his Arabic.
Ouissem
Journalism & storytelling
After studying geography and political science, Ouissem became a cultural radio columnist. He co-hosts the programmes “L'islam au présent” and “Revue littéraire” on Beur FM. Fascinated by both the world and religion, he explores these themes further through Repères & Vocations.
Babakar
Social media & photography
Babakar joined Repères & Vocations along the way. As a photographer and social media lead, he turns the series into a daily space for social interaction, extending its encounters and conversations beyond the films. He also took part in filming “Harar, the Forgotten Islamic City” in Ethiopia.
An independent series
Make the next chapter possible
Repères & Vocations creates each film independently. Supporting us makes the shoots, editing, distribution and future encounters possible.