SHORTS II: THOSE WHO REMAIN - ALFILM Arab Film Festival Berlin

Das sagt der/die Veranstalter:in:

Surviving war, losing a loved one, finding safety far from home or witnessing the suffering of others - these films tenderly explore the inner worlds of those who remain, when others can not. Amidst the tumult of grief, guilt, regret, and fear, remaining becomes an act of strength and resilience. 

Followed by a Film Talk with Dima Hamdan (director of Blood Like Water), Osama and Majd Hafiry (director and main actor of Amygdala).

Blood Like Water

Fiction, director: Dima Hamdan, Palestine, 2023, 15 min., Arab. with En. ST

Shadi (Atalah Tannous) unintentionally drags his family into a trap where they find themselves facing a harrowing dilemma with profound consequences: either collaborate with the Israeli occupation or be shamed and humiliated.

Amygdala

Fiction, director: Osama Hafiry, Germany, 2023, 14 min., Arab. with En. ST

Separated by war, Rafi (Majd Hafiry) is trying to secure safety for his family in Germany, meanwhile, his brother Basel (Jalal Albaroudi) is seeking solace in memories in their abandoned home in Syria. As they reconnect over the fragile phone line, their harsh realities linger beyond the physical distance.

The Voice of Others

Fiction, director: Fatima Kaci, France, 2023, 30 min., Arab. and Fr. with En. ST

Rim (Amira Chebli) is a Tunisian interpreter working in France on asylum procedures. Every day, she translates the stories of exiled people, whose voices raise questions about her own history.

Zoo

Animation, director: Tariq Rimawi, Jordan/Germany, 2022, 8 min., No Dialogue

In the confines of the Worst Zoo in the world, young Sami encounters a timid tiger cub named Laziz. Their bond deepens as they search for a safe place to play amidst the remnants of the war. 

The Red Sea Makes Me Wanna Cry

Fiction, director: Faris Alrjoob, Jordan/Germany, 2023, 21 min., English, German and Arab. with En. ST

Ida (Clara Schwinning), haunted by the death of her partner Ismail (Ahmed Shihab-Eldin), travels to the place of his disappearance in the hope of being close to him one last time.

If The Sun Drowned Into An Ocean of Clouds

Fiction, director: Wissam Charaf, Lebanon/France, 2023, 20 min., Arab. with En. ST

A construction site in Beirut, Lebanon. Security agent Raed (Raed Yassin) must prevent passing-by walkers from accessing the seaside. As the horizon becomes more stifled by the construction each day, Raed makes peculiar encounters.