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CBC
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
War, displacement and collaboration are main themes in Hot Docs 'Made in Exile' program
Social Sharing Director Timeea Mohamed Ahmed did not know exactly the kind of movie he was making when he signed on to Khartoum. He knew the documentary, which had its sold-out Canadian premiere at Toronto's Hot Docs Festival, would focus on his native Sudan. He knew it would bring together multiple directors from the country to tell their stories. But what the crew couldn't know was how a sudden war in Sudan would make it almost impossible to craft the film, and eventually, impossible to stay there to finish it. In 2023, the team was forced to flee to parts of East Africa, where they finished the film through creative tools like green screens and animation, having their subjects re-enact scenarios that weren't possible to film in person. And given the recent wars that have broken out across the world, Ahmed is far from alone. He's part of a cohort of filmmakers at this year's festival, whose work is highlighted under the "Made in Exile" banner. The new category is co-sponsored by the PEN Canada non-profit, and highlights stories of war and crisis in artists' homelands that they've had to leave. Despite the tragedy inherent to the category, Ahmed and other filmmakers see within its scope surprising signs of hope. The films highlight their creators' unique strategies, as well as the collaboration inspired by their obstacles. That, he said, is a heartening boon for a medium already on the ropes. "This film has a Palestinian editor, Italian producer — it has so much [more] people than I thought possible, from different countries and nationalities and languages," Ahmed said of Khartoum. "It showed me that exile can be also an advantage more than it's a disadvantage." WATCH | Hot Docs is back after a year of financial strife, worries: Hot Docs Festival returns after year of financial woes 1 month ago Duration 2:41 Category came partly from financial troubles According to Hot Docs' programming director Heather Haynes, the opportunity came about partly from the organization's very public financial woes. As the festival employed some "right-sizing" techniques — dropping its total film count down from 214 in 2023 to 113 films in 2025 — updating the Made In program to cover artists from more than one country or region also seemed like a timely change. (The category typically highlights a specific country's work under the "Made in" format.) The team had wanted to try the project out for the last three years, she said. But the state of the world in 2025 made it a particularly urgent year for testing. One of the affected filmmakers was Areeb Zuaiter, the Palestinian director of the 2024 sold-out Hot Docs film Yalla Parkour. She made that documentary, which follows a young parkour athlete attempting to emigrate from Gaza, over the course of 10 years. The film was created in advance of Hamas's attack on Israel — and Israel's subsequent war — and is billed as a last glimpse of a pre-Oct. 7 Gaza. But Zuaiter's personal sense of exile from a Palestinian state predates the war: Though she was born in Nablus in the West Bank, she and her parents left when she was an infant. Along with annual trips back to Nablus, they made a one-time visit to Gaza, where the memory of her mother's smile by the seaside made a particular impression on her. Meeting the young parkour athlete coloured Zuaiter's personal connection to the territory, and she observes that his desire to leave the territory triggers her own guilt for having left so many years ago. And as the war intensified, so did her project's theme. "My full attention was [in] showing … the conditions in Gaza, how [Gazans] have this spirit that I eventually ended up calling the Palestinian spirit, that reminded me of my mom," she said. "But then when everything happened lately, we felt this sense of [urgency] that we need to finish this film. And at the same time, we will be insensitive if we don't address what's going on." Shame, trauma and hope That impulse also coloured the creation of The Longer You Bleed, another entry. It looks at the endless stream of violent footage from Russia's war in Ukraine shared on social media, and the toll it takes on young Ukrainians. The idea first came from Liubov Dyvak's phone. Dyvak, the film's Ukrainian producer and subject, made the doc with her partner and director, Ewan Waddell. Dyvak is currently based in Germany, and like many Ukrainians, she uses her phone for activism, Waddell said, and saves images she's seen online and from friends. But she found that the phone, as part of its settings, would automatically generate collages of images she'd downloaded, pairing them with bubbly pop music. Just before they started work on what would become the film, her phone made another one: a montage of destroyed buildings, rubble and civilians without legs. Though she was physically in a safe space, at the same time she felt constantly traumatized by social media, she said: "I noticed this kind of guilt of survival … and shame. And not being able to share your experience because it feels [like] people from your country experience, also, physical danger. Which is much more intense." Liubov said it reinforced both the horror of the war, and the separation she had from her friends in other parts of Europe — people who largely used social media innocently, and without encountering as much graphic violence as she did. It also made her wonder about her connection to other Ukrainians, given her experience of being in a sort of exile — of not being physically in her home, but seeing her friends' experiences second-hand through their shared images. But working on the documentary itself helped to alleviate some of that guilt. Talking to other Ukrainians in her situation — similarly removed from their home country during the war — made her feel more connected, not less.
Broadcast Pro
26-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Broadcast Pro
Hong Kong Int'l Film Festival to screen Red Sea Foundation-supported films
Red Sea Film Foundation-backed films 'Yunan', 'To a Land Unknown', 'To Kill a Mongolian Horse' and 'Yalla Parkour' are set to be showcased. The 49th Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) has announced its 2025 lineup, featuring several films backed by the Red Sea Film Foundation, including Ameer Fakher Eldin's Yunan, Mahdi Fleifel's To a Land Unknown, Xiaoxuan Jiang's To Kill a Mongolian Horse and Areeb Zuaiter's documentary Yalla Parkour. Scheduled to take place from April 10 to 21, the festival will highlight nearly 200 films from 69 countries, including six world premieres, two international premieres and 52 Asian premieres, with over 300 screenings planned. Among the notable selections, Yunan—the second installment in Fakher Eldin's HOME trilogy—follows a disillusioned Arab writer who, contemplating suicide, retreats to a remote North Sea island, where an encounter with an elderly woman rekindles his desire to live. Fleifel's To a Land Unknown portrays the struggles of two immigrants seeking a way out of Athens, while Meryam Joobeur's Who Do I Belong To delves into themes of identity and conflict as a Tunisian mother grapples with the unexpected return of her son from Syria. Making her feature-length debut, Zuaiter directs Yalla Parkour, a documentary that intertwines her search for belonging with the story of Ahmed, a parkour athlete in Gaza. The film, an international co-production involving Sweden, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Palestine, premiered at the Berlinale's Panorama section earlier this year. Jiang's To Kill a Mongolian Horse, a drama set in Inner Mongolia, is also among the featured selections. Produced by Da Huang Pictures, the film represents a collaboration between Malaysia, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan and the United States. HKIFF 2025 will open with the world premieres of The Brightest Sun by Japan's Tetsuya Nakashima and Pavane for an Infant by Malaysia's Chong Keat Aun. The festival will conclude with Norway's Dreams (Sex Love) by Dag Johan Haugerud, which recently won the Golden Bear at the Berlinale.
Broadcast Pro
27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Broadcast Pro
Red Sea Film Foundation-supported films shine at 75th Berlinale
The recognition of these films highlights the Red Sea Film Foundation's ongoing dedication to supporting unique voices through the Red Sea Fund. At the 2025 Berlin International Film Festival, three films backed by the Red Sea Film Foundation— Têtes Brûlées , The Heart is a Muscle and Yalla Parkour —received awards, underscoring the Foundation's role in fostering impactful storytelling on the global stage. The Heart Is a Muscle was awarded the Ecumenical Jury Prize in the Panorama section. The film follows Ryan, a father whose five-year-old son briefly goes missing at a barbecue. His intense reaction to the incident triggers a series of events that uncover long-buried secrets and set him on a path of self-discovery. Yalla Parkour secured the Panorama Documentary Audience Award (Second Prize). Directed by Areeb Zuaiter in her debut feature, the documentary captures her return to Gaza—a place she first visited as a child with her Palestinian mother. After her mother's passing, a deep longing for her homeland resurfaces when she discovers a video of young men in Gaza practising parkour amidst the turmoil of explosions. Têtes Brûlées received a Special Mention for Best Film in the youth-focused Generation 14plus category. The story revolves around 12-year-old Eya, who struggles to cope with the sudden loss of her older brother, Younès. Through resilience and the support of Younès' friends, she embarks on an emotional journey to navigate her grief. In addition to these achievements, The Sun Sees Everything , a film in development by Wissam Tanios and produced by Christian Eid, won the World Cinema Fund Audience Strategies Award at the Berlinale Co-Production Market. Shivani Pandya Malhotra, Managing Director of the Red Sea Film Foundation, said: 'Congratulations to these incredible filmmakers whose unique perspectives have been recognized on the prestigious stage of the Berlin International Film Festival. Their success underscores the universal power that great storytelling holds and reinforces our dedication to nurturing independent cinema across the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. At the Red Sea Film Foundation, we are proud to empower filmmakers and look forward to continuing our work bringing diverse, compelling stories to new audiences worldwide.
CairoScene
26-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Red Sea Film Foundation Celebrates Big Wins at Berlinale 2025
'The Heart Is a Muscle', 'Yalla Parkour' and 'Têtes Brûlées' were all recognised at the Berlin International Film Festival. Three films backed by the Red Sea Film Foundation have earned major accolades at the 2025 Berlin International Film Festival, reinforcing the organisation's commitment to independent cinema across the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. 'The Heart Is a Muscle' won the Ecumenical Jury Prize in the Panorama section, telling the story of Ryan, whose violent reaction to his young son briefly going missing unearths long-buried secrets and forces him on a journey of self-discovery. 'Yalla Parkour' secured Second Prize in the Panorama Documentary Audience Award, with director Areeb Zuaiter capturing her return to Gaza and the resilience of young men practicing parkour amidst the ongoing Israeli aggression. 'Têtes Brûlées' received a Special Mention for Best Film in the youth-focused Generation 14plus category, following 12-year-old Eya as she navigates grief with the help of her late brother's friends.
The National
11-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Berlinale: Ten Arab and Middle Eastern films screening at this year's festival
The Berlin International Film Festival, better known as Berlinale, returns next month for its 75th year. Running from February 13 until February 23, it is one of the first major festivals in a calendar year, and has traditionally served as a launching point for films from the Mena region. Sitting as jury president at this year's festival is American filmmaker Todd Haynes, best known for his films Safe, Carol and May December. South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho's next film, Mickey 17, is set to premiere at the festival. This year's event will also feature several films from the Middle East, both in the feature and short film categories. Here are the regional titles screening at the 2025 Berlinale. French-Lebanese filmmaker Wissam Charaf follows up Dirty Difficult Dangerous, which had its premiere at the Venice Film Festival, with Holiday. It is a coming-of-age story set in Beirut during the Lebanese Civil War. Taking place in 1986, the film follows a boy named Chadi, 13, whose family flee the capital to live with his aunt in the south. "It's the diary of Chadi, a 13-year-old Lebanese kid who discovers life, sexuality, love and friendship in a context of war and violence,' Charaf told Variety. The events in the film don't unfold 'in a dramatic way, but like a series of absurd and incomprehensible incidents". The film will have its premiere in the Berlinale Co-Production Market. German-Syrian director Ameer Fakher Eldin's film Yunan will be competing for the Golden Bear in the festival's main competition. The film follows an exiled and depressed Arab author who travels to a remote island in the North Sea. The film stars Ali Suliman, Tom Wlaschiha and Hanna Schygulla. Fakher Eldin, who was born in Kyiv, Ukraine, is the son of two Syrian immigrants from Golan Heights. He previously directed two short films, as well as the 2021 feature The Stranger. Yunan will be competing in the festival's main competition. Palestinian filmmaker Areeb Zuaiter's documentary Yalla Parkour is an exploration of a resilient parkour community that practices the daring sport in Gaza. The film first screened in New York in November last year, followed by a Middle East premiere at the Red Sea Film Festival in December. Speaking to The National, Zuaiter said: 'In January, we lost the Gaza parkour member Saeed Al Tattari, it was at that point when we realised we have to stop filming and show the world what Gaza looked like. We needed to show that there was life – that there were people who were trying to make life out of nothing.' Yalla Parkour will be screened as part of the Panorama Dokumente category. Five filmmakers collaborated to direct Khartoum, a documentary about five different people who managed to flee the Sudanese capital in the wake of war. The directors are Anas Saeed, Rawia Alhag, Ibrahim Snoopy Ahmad, Timeea Mohamed Ahmed with creative director and writer Philip Cox. The film mixes real-life footage from the first day of the war, with people themselves acting out what they did, in front of a green screen, to illustrate the trials and tribulations of their experience. Khartoum will be screening at the Sundance Film Festival before going to Berlin, and will be part of the Panorama category. Egyptian director Mohamed Rashad's The Settlement will compete in the Perspectives category, which is screening 14 films by first-time directors. The film follows two brothers, aged 23 and 12, whose only compensation after their father's death is to be offered work in the factory where their father died, alongside his killer. The Settlement makes its world premiere at the Berlinale. This short film by Iranian filmmaker Hesam Eslami explores the uncomfortable experience of being constantly under surveillance by his government. The film attempts to flip the table or those surveying, creating a tense situation in society. Eslami has previously directed three films: 20th Circuit Suspects, The Marriage Project and A Band of Dreamers and a Judge. Citizen-Inmate will screen as part of the Berlinale Short Film Competition. Mahmoud Ibrahim's Akher Youm, or The Last Day, is a documentary about a pair of Egyptian brothers who, while moving their furniture from their childhood home (set for demolition), tune into news of Palestinian homes being destroyed and reflect on both situations. The film will make its European premiere at the Berlinale, and will screen as part of the Forum Expanded category. Iranian-American filmmaker Mehrnoush Alia's latest project follows a group of actresses auditioning for the role of Scheherazade in A Thousand and One Nights under the watchful eye of a well-known director. The women start to realise that the director is casting for more than just the lead role. Alia was born in Iran but moved to the US where she now directs short films, with 1001 Frames being a feature film remake of her 2015 short film Scheherazade. 1001 Frames will be making its world premiere in the Panorama category. Iraqi filmmaker Ali Yahya's short film Beneath Which Rivers Flow takes its name from a verse in the Quran. The film follows a young man named Ibrahim who lives in Southern Iraq's marshlands with his buffalo companion. The pair are fine until it becomes clear an ecological disaster is about to upend their lives. This is Yahya Ali's first film behind the camera, having previously acted in two short films. Beneath Which Rivers Flow makes its global premiere at the Berlinale and will screen as part of the Generation 14 plus category. Produced by Egypt and Saudi Arabia, Karim El Shenawy's film tells the story of Daye, a 14-year-old Nubian albino child with a golden voice. Daye is enamoured by his idol, Egyptian singer Mohamed Mounir. Daye's family, seeing the boy's talent, decide to travel to Cairo to audition for The Voice. El Shenawy has been directing short and feature films since 2012, directing six episodes of the Kuwaiti Netflix series The Exchange. The Tale of Daye's Family is making its European debut and will be screening as part of the Generation 14 plus category.
