Hafsia Herzi
Hafsia Herzi (born 25 January 1987) is a French actress, screenwriter, and director. She is best known for her debut role in the award-winning Franco-Tunisian feature The Secret of the Grain for which she won the award for most promising actress at the César Awards 2008, and the Marcello Mastroianni Award at the 64th Venice International Film Festival. In 2025, Herzi won César Award for Best Actress, for Borgo by Stéphane Demoustier.
Hafsia Herzi

Georges Biard · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Born
- 25 January 1987
- Birthplace
- Manosque, France
- Occupation
- Actress, film director
- Nationality
- France
- Honours
- Marcello Mastroianni Award · César Award for Best Female Revelation · Lumière Award for Best Female Revelation · César Award for Best Actress
- Languages
- French
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wikidata · Q541721 · wikipedia · Hafsia Herzi
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Born — 25 January 1987 • Birthplace — Manosque, France • Occupation — Actress, film director • Years Active — 2007–present
Early life
Early life
Herzi is of Tunisian descent from her father and Algerian from her mother, and is the youngest of a family of four children (two brothers and a sister, Dalila). After her parents' divorce, her father remarried in Algeria. Her mother lives in Marseille, where Herzi grew up.
Acting
Acting
Herzi's film debut is 2007's The Secret of the Grain. She has also appeared in 2011's House of Tolerance. In 2016, Herzi starred in Sex Doll. Aside from her French film work, she has also appeared in American independent films War Story and This Teacher.
Personal life
Personal life
Herzi has a son with her partner, cyclist Nacer Bouhanni. In 2017, Herzi had an altercation with a chauffeur after the latter declined her request for a detour. According to Herzi, the chauffeur had previously made sexual innuendos alluding to nude scenes in her films and accusing her of violating religious morals. She was cleared of charges of insult by the court of first instance, but the Court of Appeal of Paris found her guilty of non-public racial insult.
As filmmaker
As filmmaker
• Year — Title — Notes • 2019 — You Deserve a Lover — Also Actress • 2021 — Good Mother • 2022 — La Cour — TV Movie • 2025 — The Little Sister
As actress
As actress
• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 2007 — The Secret of the Grain — Rym — César Award for Most Promising Actress Lumière Award for Most Promising Actress Marcello Mastroianni Award Shooting Stars Award • 2008 — Dawn of the World — Zahra • A Man and His Dog — Leïla • 2009 — The King of Escape — Curly Durandot • Buried Secrets — Aïcha • 2010 — The Rabbi's Cat — Zlebia — Voice • 2011 — Jimmy Rivière — Sonia • House of Tolerance — Samira • The Source — Loubna Esmeralda • 2012 — The Inheritance — Hajar • 2013 — Exit Marrakech — Karima • The Marchers — Monia • On My Way — Jeanne • 2014 — Le Sac de farineh — Sarah • Certifiée Halal • War Story — Hafsia • 2015 — Par accident — Amra • 2016 — Sex Doll — Virginie • 2017 — Des plans sur la comète — Inès • Of Skin and Men — Amel • Mektoub, My Love: Canto Uno — Camélia • 2018 — Féminin plurielles — Hafsia Chouchane • Black Tide • Le Banc • This Teacher • 2019 — You Deserve a Lover — Lila — Also as director • Mektoub My Love: Intermezzo — Camélia • Persona non grata — Iris • 2021 — Madame Claude — Nadège • À l'ombre des filles — Jess • 2022 — Three Nights a Week — Samia • La Gravité — Sabrina • 2023 — The Rapture — Lydia • Borgo — Melissa — César Award for Best Actress • 2024 — My New Friends — World premiere at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival • 2026 — The Birthday Party — Nora

French Actress Hafsia Herzi in April 2008 at the Crossing Europe Film Festival Linz, Austria
Otto Normalverbraucher

Hafsia Herzi à la cérémonie des Césars 2008
Georges Biard
Filmmaking
In 2019, Herzi directed her first feature film, You Deserve a Lover. In June 2021, her second feature, Good Mother (Bonne Mère), was selected to compete in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. At Cannes, it won the Ensemble Prize in the Un Certain Regard section.
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Hafsia Herzi, revision 1356949883 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Dupont, Joan. Hafsia Herzi portrays another France in 'La graine et le mulet'. The New York Times. 2008-02-21. 0362-4331.
- 2.Mandelbaum, Jacques. "Ne pas être cantonnée à l'Arabe de service". Le Monde. 14 July 2009.
- 3.Feinstein, Howard. House Of Tolerance. Screen Daily. Screen International. 16 May 2011.
- 4.Goldstein, Gary. European drama 'Sex Doll' is a meandering take on a high-end call girl. Los Angeles Times. 9 February 2017.
- 5.Michael, Chris. War Story – first look review. The Guardian. Guardian News & Media Limited. 28 January 2014.
- 6.Sarachan, Risa. 'This Teacher,' Mark Jackson's Provocative Film About Fear And Racism In America. Forbes. 28 September 2020.
- 7.Young, Deborah. 'You Deserve a Lover' ('Tu merites un amour'): Film Review | Cannes 2019. The Hollywood Reporter. 20 May 2019.
- 8.Sharf, Zack. Cannes Film Festival 2021 Lineup: Sean Baker, Wes Anderson, and More Compete for Palme d'Or. IndieWire. 10 June 2021.
- 9.Soriano, Jianne. Cannes Film Festival 2021: Full Winners List. Asia Tatler. 18 July 2021.
- 10.Goldszal, Clémentine. Le cinéma fait femmes d'Hafsia Herzi. Le Monde. 10 October 2023.
- 11.Kachour, Walid. Nacer Bouhanni en couple : qui est sa compagne Hafsia Herzi ?. Télé-Loisirs. Prisma Media. 3 October 2023.
- 12.Dubois, Camille. Hafsia Herzi condamnée pour injure raciale contre un chauffeur VTC. Purepeople. Webedia. 5 December 2019.
- 13.Un Arabe peut-il traiter un Arabe de « sale Arabe » ? Deuxième acte. Le Point. 7 September 2018.
- 14.Hafsia Herzi condamnée pour avoir traité un chauffeur VTC de « sale Arabe ». Le Point. 4 December 2019.
- 15.L'actrice française Hafsia Herzi condamnée pour avoir traité un chauffeur de "sale Arabe". RTL info. 6 December 2019.
- 16.Goodfellow, Melanie. Berlinale Unveils Full Panorama, Forum & Generation Line-Ups With New Films By Nathan Silver, Levan Akin, André Téchiné & Bruce LaBruce. Deadline. 17 January 2024.
References
Citations
References
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Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 26 August 2026.
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