Writer and director Kaouther Ben Hania made history when The Man Who Sold His Skin became the first Tunisian film to be nominated for an Academy Award. The story of a Syrian refugee who is offered a Faustian bargain by one slick European artist, to have his artwork, a Schengen visa, tattooed on Sam’s back in exchange for a chance at freedom in the West, was hailed by critics and audiences alike as being both provocative and fascinating.

Apart from loving Ben Hania’s cinematic style, and her choice to feature Italian star Monica Bellucci in a blonde wig, what I found outstanding about this film is its ending. Far from being what we have come to expect as a “typical” refugee story, and whatever that means, this film turns the tables on the audience, to become an ode to humanity, pointing out what should be our birthright — the ability to change our minds. Ben Hania’s visionary work has continued to surprise me, yet The Man Who Sold His Skin remains my personal favorite, for all it says, unconventionally. — E. Nina Rothe