BRAHIM SASSI

With a comprehensive background in the performing arts, director/writer/teacher Brahim Sassi has developed an artistic vision involving cross-cultural perspectives with an emphasis on the spiritual aspect residing in all forms of creativity. With extensive knowledge of the human body as a dynamic expression in the performing arts, he integrates universal concepts of space, energy, and rhythm as the basis for workshops and directing. His teaching is rich in Eastern and Occidental philosophy.

Born in Tunisia, Mr. Sassi has taught theater at the University of Tunis and directed adaptations and original works for several theaters both in Tunisia and Europe. These included Hammerschlager Theater in Stuttgart, Germany as well as productions in New York. He has directed at Lucia Sturdza Theater in Bulandra, Romania and participated in European festivals at Avignon, France and Pozan, Poland. His many productions have included Bertolt Brecht’s Three Penny Opera, Max Frisch’s Chinese Wall, Stravinsky’s “Soldier’s Tale” Garcia Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba, Sophocles’ Antigone, Shakepeare’s Othello, Tawfik Al-Hakim’s “Scherezade, The Thousand and One Nights”, as well as Chekhov’s “Swansong” and “The Sparrow.” He collaborated with Howard Rovics on a modern opera production of Rivka Kashtan’s book Wild variations on a Theme of the garden of Eden. He was an active member of the Movement Expanded Theater in Poland, which promoted new forms of theater in alternative spaces. In addition, he served as the artistic director at the Experimental Theater in Nimes, France directing such plays as Jean Paul Sartre’s No Exit and Christian Liger’s House of Memory. In New York he served as a director creating and developing Paradox, a play inspired by Denis Diderot’s book The Paradox of Acting. At Washington Square Church, he adapted and directed Gibran, a play based on the poetry and letters of Kahlil Gibran.

In recent years, he has turned his attention to film and video. Mr. Sassi directed Spheres, a video project featuring movement and dance. He provided a live soundtrack for the project, accompanying the visuals with his own performance of Northern Indian classical sitar. Most recently, he directed the film Fish Bowl. He holds a doctorate in theater and film studies from Montpellier University in France and a Master of Arts from the Higher Institute of Theater Arts and Cinematography from the University of Bucharest in Romania. In New York, Mr. Sassi has acquired a Certificate of Film Directing from New York University and a Masters in Television and Radio from Brooklyn College. He has taught workshops in theater and film acting. His appreciation for cross-cultural issues is expressed by his fluency and understanding of the Arabic, French, Spanish, Romanian, and English languages.

Mr. Sassi is currently residing in New York and is available for directing film and theater projects.

Some of the latest directorial credits
2014 Directing workshops in acting for theatre and film. New York.
2012 Visual performance show with live Hindustani music. Toured Tunisia.
2011 Wrote full feature script “The Winners” and “The Arab Spring.”
2010 Video project: Margaret Fuller. New York Council of the Arts.
2009 Leading workshops in film acting in Argentina.
2008 Produced and directed the film “The Bridge.”
2007 Leading workshops in acting for film and scrip-writing. NY, USA.
2006 “Fool Moon Lampoon” a TV variety show. NY, USA.
2006 “Nights in Tunisia” a live studio TV performance in tap dancing.
2006 Assistant Director “Jonas’ Dream,” a children’s film production.
2005 “Rhythms of Life” an educational video on how to teach Indian tabla.
2005 “Light Upon Light” and “Light Dance” two documentaries about an Islamic High School in Brooklyn, NY, USA.
2005 “Let’s Be Frank” a musical about Frank Sinatra. NY, USA.
2003 “Spheres” a performance with Mia Makishima. NY, USA.
2002 “Pursuing It” a documentary about the work of Edith O’Hara. NY, USA.