She might play a resourceful, industrious young woman in the drama The Secret of the Grain, but hot young North African/French actress Hafsia Herzi is just enjoying life.

It's always good to get in early. By the time you read this, Hafsia Herzi will be all over the media. Actually, the news is already out in France, where she recently picked up an award for Most Promising Actress at the Cesars (the French Oscars) for her performance in Abdel Kechiche's wonderfully warm humanist drama The Secret of the Grain.

When FILMINK spoke to the young actress on the phone, she was in a Paris cafe surrounded by what sounded like a gaggle of excited twenty-somethings. Herzi comes on with a delightful mix of English and French, and apologises profusely for forgetting about the interview. One gets the sense that this completely natural talent is simply enjoying her young life to the full. It's that very personality trait that got her noticed, and it's also what makes her delightful performance in The Secret of the Grain so charmingly real.

Director Abdel Kechiche had set up an exhaustive casting process, and Herzi turned up with little acting training, taking her place amongst the hopefuls and thinking that she might get work as an extra. Kechiche immediately spotted the humble young hopeful, and not only cast her as Rym (the resourceful daughter of the film's hero, who battles a mid-life setback by opening a restaurant), but also greatly expanded her role. Herzi almost steals the film, particularly in one scene where she has to perform a belly dance to fill in time when the opening night of the restaurant goes wrong. So, could she belly dance, or did she use a body double? "I just did what I did," Herzi replies. "I didn't know how to really dance, but I learned a little for the film."

Has she taken stock of her new found fame? "The film has taken millions, and it only opened in France three months ago" she explains breathlessly. Herzi says that she knew the film was good, but had no idea that the mainstream audience would embrace the story so wholeheartedly. A lot of this is to do with Herzi's electrifying presence, but she's modest enough to not go there. And what about that Cesar? "It was a great night," she replies sweetly, her girlfriends audibly laughing amiably in the background. "I'm just so lucky."

She was also lucky to work with a director as encouraging and supportive as Abdel Kechiche. "He's really nice," Herzi says. "He treats everyone the same and with affection." The only glimpse of the guarded, professional artist shines through when FILMINK asks Hafsia Herzi about her future projects. "I'd like to tell stories about things in my background," she says. "I have many ideas, but I can't tell you about them yet."

Either way, we'll be seeing much more of her in the future, so remember that name...

The Secret of the Grain is screening now.