To a Land Unknown
Synopsis
Displaced Palestinian cousins Chatila and Reda are stuck in Athens. They live in a crowded group home with other migrants, and steal and save what they can to pay for fake passports that will take them to Germany. When Reda relapses into his addictions and spends all their savings, Chatila devises what seems like a foolproof smuggling operation to earn the money back fast. Then things go terribly awry, and the cousins must concoct an even more sinister scheme in order to save themselves and their families back home.
With an intimate and naturalistic lens on the cousins’ bond and shared dream of a better life, To a Land Unknown is a tightly drawn thriller that presents an audacious, moving testament to the dire circumstances faced by migrants in purgatory.
Screenings & Events
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Media
Film Credits
- Geoff Arbourne, Mahdi Fleifel
- Mahdi Fleifel, Fyzal Boulifa, Jason McColgan
- Halim Sabbagh
- Thodoris Mihopoulos (GSC)
- Mahmood Bakri (Chatila), Aram Sabbagh (Reda), Angeliki Papoulia (Tatiana), Mohammad Alsurafa (Malik), Mouataz Alshalton (Abu Love), Mohammad Ghassan (Yasser), Monzer Reyahnah (Marwan)
- Nadah El Shazly
- Elisa Van Waeyenberge, François De Villers, Frank Barat, Sawsan Asfari
- Inside Out Films, Nakba Filmworks, Salaud Morisset, Salaud Morisset Deutschland, Homemade Films, Studio Ruba
Sponsors
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Happy Holidays
Synopsis
A panoramic portrait of a patriarchal society, Happy Holidays chronicles the lives of a Palestinian family living in Israel. While studying far away from her home in Haifa, Fifi’s newfound sense of freedom is threatened when she gets into a minor car accident. Injured, but hoping to avoid confrontation with her headstrong mother, she must decide just how much to reveal to her family. Her decision creates a cascade of ripple effects, and a complex web of deceits and half-truths begins to crack the family’s foundations.
Told in four chapters, each from the perspective of a different character, the film intricately balances a bevy of narrative threads to create a swirling, kaleidoscopic drama. Featuring pitch-perfect performances and a shifting structure that subverts expectations at every turn, the film elaborates the clashing demands of tradition and progress.
In Focus: Germany on Screen
This film is part of the 60th Chicago International Film Festival’s In Focus: Germany on Screen collection highlighting the work of Germany’s most gifted auteur filmmakers.
Screenings & Events
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Film Credits
- Tony Copti, Jiries Copti, Dorothe Beinemeier, Jean Bréhat, Marco Valerio Fusco, Micaela Fusco
- Scandar Copti
- Scandar Copti
- Tim Kuhn
- Manar Shehab, Wafaa Aoun, Meirav Memoresky, Toufic Danial
- Pascal Lemercier
- Fresco Films, Red Balloon Film, Tessalit Productions, Intramovies
Sponsors
New Directors Program Patron
Robert and Penelope Steiner Family Foundation
With Support From
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The Brink of Dreams Rafaat einy ll sama
Synopsis
In a small village in southern Egypt, a group of girls form a street theater troupe as both a creative outlet and a fearless act of defiance. Challenging the patriarchal norms of their conservative Coptic Christian community, the girls dream of becoming actresses, dancers, and singers. They take to the dusty roads of their town to enact short plays that offer provocative challenges to passersby, asking questions like why a girl cannot marry the boy she loves.
Shot over four years with extraordinary access to its subjects, Nada Riyadh and Ayman El Amir’s film follows these brave girls from adolescence to adulthood, charting the complex and myriad ways in which each must navigate growing up as they form romantic partnerships and face the social demands of womanhood. As feminist empowerment and aspirational dreams collide with the sobering realities of life, The Brink of Dreams offers a poignant and absorbing coming-of-age story of female solidarity and youthful rebellion. Winner of the top documentary prize at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
Screenings & Events
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Media
Film Credits
- Ayman El Amir, Nada Riyadh, Marc Irmer, Claire Chassagne
- Nada Riyadh, Ayman El Amir
- Véronique Lagoarde-Ségot, Ahmed Magdy Morsy, Ayman El Amir, Nada Riyadh
- Dina El Zeneiny, Ahmed Ismail, Ayman El Amir
- Majda Masoud, Haidi Sameh, Monika Youssef, Marina Samir, Myriam Nassar, Lydia Haroun, Youstina Samir
- Ahmad El Sawy
- Felucca Films, Dolce Vita Films, Magma Films
- https://www.thepartysales.com/movie/the-brink-of-dreams/
Sponsors
Documentary Program Partner
Documentary Program Patron
Cynthia Stone Raskin
Film Patron
Cynthia Stone Raskin
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