Running time: 75 mins
Genre:
Release Date: 25/02/2025
This screening brings together five directors from Algeria, Tunisia, Syria and Iraq telling stories of trauma as a result of conflict. Five different stories, equally powerful and equally heartbreaking.
The screening is followed by a post film Q&A with directors/producers, chaired by Yamam Nabeel.
Films screened:
Nya
Directed by Imene Ayadi (Algeria)
Taking place in Algerian suburbia in 1994, the story revolves around Anya - a seven-year-old girl who blissfully experiences her childhood without being aware of the turmoil caused by the civil war engulfing her country. Her sole desire is for her father - a journalist away on an assignment - to come back in time for the Mouloud holiday. Nevertheless, the violence of the real world slowly encroaches upon her daily life, causing her childish innocence to waver.
Ali and His Miracle Sheep
Directed by Maythem Ridha (Iraq)
9-year-old Ali hasn't spoken since his father was beheaded by ISIS. Setting out on a pilgrimage across modern-day Iraq, he plans to sacrifice his favourite sheep Kirmeta at the shrine of an ancient saint. This personal journey becomes a lyrical meditation on hope for miracles amid the suffering of a nation.
A Lullaby Unlike Any Other
Directed by Amani Jaafer (Tunisia)
Nour, a young Palestinian woman, wanders in the streets of Stockholm, only to confront the realization that she has lost something irreplaceable.
Foresaken
Directed by Aziz Shennawy (Tunisia)
After 30-year-old Meriem decides to treat herself to a vacation, she finds the body of a Sub-Saharan African man drowned in front of her balcony that no one seems to care about. Upon discovering the victim’s identity, Meriem has to make a decision.
Loss
Directed by Rami Al-Kassab (Syria)
As a group of immigrants crosses the desert border of North Sudan into Egypt, a sudden mother’s cry changes the course of a journey full of loss.
About the festival:
The I’m Migrant Film Festival is a month-long programme of screenings and events bringing together established filmmakers from across the SWANA Region alongside emerging filmmakers from the Arab World and platforming the most promising new talent from young directors.