Sonia Ben Ammar (born 19 February 1999),[1] also credited as Sonia Ammar, is a French-Tunisian[2] model, singer, and actress, who is signed with IMG Models. She has appeared on several magazine covers, including Vanity Fair and L'Officiel.

Sonia Ben Ammar
Born (1999-02-19) 19 February 1999 (age 25)
Paris, France
EducationUniversity of Southern California
Berklee College of Music (BMus)
Occupations
  • Model
  • singer
  • actress
Years active2012–present
Parents
RelativesWassila Ben Ammar (paternal great-aunt)
Habib Bourguiba (paternal great-uncle)

Ben Ammar released her debut extended play Sonia (2019) to positive reviews from critics. She played the role of Liv McKenzie in the slasher film Scream (2022), which was a critical and commercial success.

Early life

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Sonia Ben Ammar was born in Paris, France,[3] on 19 February 1999.[citation needed] She is the daughter of a famous Tunisian film producer Tarak Ben Ammar and actress Beata Ammar (née Sonczuk).[4] Her mother is of Polish descent,[3] while her Tunisian-born father is of paternal Berber and maternal Corsican descent. He was raised Muslim; his own mother converted to Islam from Catholicism.[5][6][7] Her paternal great-aunt (paternal grandfather's sister) Wassila Ben Ammar was the wife of the first President of Tunisia, Habib Bourguiba.[5]

She graduated from the American School of Paris and started attending the University of Southern California in fall 2017.[8]

Career

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In 2012, Ben Ammar made her acting debut in a role in the stage musical 1789: Les Amants de la Bastille.[9] In 2013, she appeared in the film Jappeloup.

In 2016, she signed with IMG Models and has since modeled for Dolce & Gabbana, Miu Miu, Carolina Herrera, Topshop, Nina Ricci and Chanel.[10][11][12][13] She has also appeared in magazines such as Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar Arabia, Love, and L'Officiel.[8][12]

Ben Ammar made her musical debut as a featured artist in Petit Biscuit's song "Creation Come Alive" in 2017.[14][15] Two years later, Ben Ammar released her debut single "Joyride",[16] which served as the lead track of her debut extended play, Sonia, which was released in November 2019 and earned positive reviews from critics.[17][18][19] Paper magazine wrote that she was "fitting nicely into the dark-pop scene" and went on to compare her to the likes of Halsey and Banks.[20]

In September 2020, it was announced that Ben Ammar would star as Liv McKenzie in the fifth Scream feature film (2022), which was directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett.[21][22][23] To prepare for the role, she told Vogue Arabia that she "rewatched every interview and really got into my character. It’s funny, I actually read the script so many times and knew everyone else’s scenes by heart. This was an ongoing joke on-set."[24] The film was released on 14 January 2022 to critical and commercial success.

Ben Ammar will have a role in the upcoming Megalopolis (2024), directed by Francis Ford Coppola.[25]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
2013 Jappeloup Raphaëlle Dalio (young)
2022 Scream Olivia "Liv" McKenzie [n 1]
2023 The Equalizer 3 Chiara Bonucci [26]
2024 Megalopolis Zena The Model [25]

Theater

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Year Production Role Location
2012–2013 1789: Les Amants de la Bastille Ensemble / Charlotte Palais des Sports

Discography

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Extended plays

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Title Details
Sonia[27]

Singles

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Title Year Album
"Joyride" 2019 Sonia
"Games"[27]
"I Don't Know"
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Title Year Album
"By My Side"
(Black Atlass featuring Sonia Ben Ammar)
2020 Dream Awake

Other appearances

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Title Year Album
"Creation Come Alive"[15]
(Petit Biscuit featuring Sonia Ben Ammar)
2017 Presence

Notes

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  1. ^ Ben Ammar also dubbed her role in the European French dubbing of the film.

References

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  1. ^ "Barbara Palvin, Estella Boersma y Sonia Ben, las nuevas supermodelos". mujerhoy.com (in Spanish). 15 October 2018.
  2. ^ "6 choses à savoir sur Sonia Ben Ammar". 8 May 2022.
  3. ^ a b Ben Ammar, Sonia. "For anyone who feels lost in translation... hopefully this helps a bit. I was born & raised in Paris but my father is Tunisian & my mother…". Instagram. Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2020.
  4. ^ Bhoyrul, Anil (1 November 2017). "INTERVIEW: November Cover Star Sonia Ben Ammar Is The Face Of A New Generation". Harper's Bazaar Arabia. Archived from the original on 3 January 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  5. ^ a b Rachdi, Rahma (31 July 2012). "Interview: Tarak Ben Ammar - Arab Film Producer and Distributor". Arabian Gazette. Archived from the original on 20 January 2013. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  6. ^ Serafini, Dom (November 2003). "Tarak Ben Ammar: The Great Negotiator". videoageinternational.com. Video Age International. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  7. ^ Pons, Giovanni (26 May 2008). "Tarak Ben Ammar il Grande Tessitore tra politica, cinema e tv" [Tarak Ben Ammar the Great Weaver between politics, cinema and TV]. Repubblica.it (in Italian). Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  8. ^ a b Okwudu, Janelle (20 June 2017). "Sonia Ben Ammar Went From Dolce & Gabbana's Runway to Graduation in 48 Hours". Vogue. Archived from the original on 21 June 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  9. ^ Duverger, Sarah (4 April 2017). "Qui est Sonia Ben Ammar?" [Who is Sonia Ben Ammar?]. Glamour (Paris) (in French). Archived from the original on 24 March 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  10. ^ Cenea, Laia (5 August 2017). "La revolución de las modelos bajitas". La Vanguardia. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  11. ^ Allen, Kelly (5 December 2017). "Topshop enlists rising stars for a new Christmas song (& we love it)". Glamour. Archived from the original on 30 January 2018. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  12. ^ a b Anastasiou, Zoe (20 July 2018). "Who is Anwar Hadid's New Love Interest Sonia Ben Ammar?". Elle Australia. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  13. ^ Ghanem, Khaoula (28 May 2017). "Meet Sonia Ben Ammar: The Tunisian Model Who Lit Up Cannes". Vogue Arabia. Archived from the original on 23 December 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
  14. ^ "French-Tunisian singer Sonia Ben Ammar cameos in new music video". Arab News. 13 September 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  15. ^ a b Garden, Sarah (19 April 2018). "Sonia Ben Ammar Performs Live at Coachella". Harper's BAZAAR Arabia. Archived from the original on 29 April 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  16. ^ Aniftos, Rania (26 September 2019). "Sonia Unveils Dreamy 'Joyride' Music Video: Premiere". Billboard. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  17. ^ "French Singer Sonia Ben Ammar On Mixing Her Style, Her Music, and More". Teen Vogue. 14 July 2016. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  18. ^ "5 Sonia Ben Ammar Tracks You Need to Listen To". Mille World. 28 September 2020. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  19. ^ Aniftos, Rania (26 September 2019). "NEWS: Sonia Unveils Dreamy 'Joyride' Music Video". Billboard.
  20. ^ "SONIA's 'Games' Is a Mind-Bending Dark Pop Maze". papermag.com. 29 October 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  21. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (17 September 2020). "'Sonia Ammar Joins Cast of 'Scream 5,' Set to Start Shooting Later This Month (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  22. ^ "Sonia Ben Ammar celebrates as 'Scream' wraps filming". ArabNews.com. 22 November 2020. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  23. ^ Pullar, Jessica (11 January 2022). "Model By Day, Horror Movie Star By Night: How 'Scream' Star Sonia Ben Ammar Juggles Both". Elle.com.au. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  24. ^ Minthe, Caterina (14 January 2022). "Sonia Ammar Talks About Her New Movie: 'Scream was my childhood'". Vogue Arabia. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  25. ^ a b Shaw, Angel (15 January 2024). "A $120 Million Movie That's Been in the Works for 40 Years is 2024's Riskiest Sci-Fi". Screen Rant. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  26. ^ Grobar, Matt (23 November 2022). "'The Equalizer 3' Adds Six To Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  27. ^ a b Kaplan, Ilana (29 October 2019). "SONIA's 'Games' Is a Mind-Bending Dark Pop Maze". Paper. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
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