Nadia Melliti, the revelation of Cannes 2025 for “The Little One”

Spotted by chance in Châtelet during a wild casting call, Nadia Melliti did not imagine that her approach would catch the eye of a casting director. A student in STAPS (Technical Physical and Sports Sciences), the young woman intended to become a sports teacher before landing her very first role in the cinema in The youngestby Hafsia Herzi. A film about emancipation and the quest for identity, which propelled her into the spotlight.

The Cannes revelation

A few months after filming, fate took a turn for the worse. In Cannes, the audience rises to salute this new voice of French cinema. When her name is mentioned during the Best Actress Award, the actress speaks with class and sobriety: I have an emotion running through me right now. I can’t describe it to you, but it’s truly incredible. “. On stage, she thanks Hafsia Herzi, her STAPS teachers who supported her in the project, without forgetting her mother whom she hopes is happy and proud of her.

Since then, the proposals have been pouring in. But the young woman keeps a cool head. She declined several projects to focus on her licensing exams. “ We try to reconcile studies with the acting profession, and it’s true that it’s not easy. But we stay the course “, she says. One foot at university, the other on the sets, she refuses to choose between her two passions, as if to continue playing on two fields at the same time.

A role of emancipation

In The youngestNadia Melliti plays a young practicing Muslim discovering her homosexuality, torn between her faith and her freedom. Like her character, she had to free herself from the gaze of others to follow her path. “ When I played football, people told me it was impossible, that as a woman I wouldn’t be able to play football. “, she remembers. At the time, women’s sections were rare. She continued anyway, “ without listening to these people ».

The rest is to listen…