An allegorical tale of female emancipation set amidst the Syrian conflict in Damascus, about a family who decides to stay behind in the besieged area. When a shell rips a giant hole in the roof of the building where 14-year-old Zeina and her family live, they are suddenly exposed to the outside world. One day a young boy living nearby lowers a rope through the openingin the family’s roof and Zeina discovers her first taste of freedom. Whilst her father is determined to stay in his home and not become a refugee, this new window opens up an unimaginable world of possibilities to her and her mother who now face a dilemma of whether to stay or leave.
A discussion with the filmmaker and a drink will follow the screening.
Festivals
Winner at Venice Film Festival (Italy) : Audience Award & Lanterna Magica Award
Nominated at the Girls on Film Awards (England) : Best Cinematographer
Nominated at the Fribourg International Film Festival (Switzerland) : International Competition
Nominated at the London Film Festival (England) : Official Competition
Nominated at the British Independent Film Awards (England) : Best Lead Performance & Best Effects
Nominated at the Red Sea Film Festival (Saudi Arabia) : Best Movie
Nominated at the International Film Festival of India (India) : Best Film
Biografie van de regisseur
Born in France in 1979, Soudade Kaadan studied theater criticism in Damascus (Syria), then cinema at the Institut des Études Scénique, Audiovisuelles et Cinématographiques (IESAV) at Saint Joseph University in Beirut (Lebanon). She has made documentaries for the UNDP, UNICEF and Aljazeera. Her first feature-length documentary, Looking for Pink, won the Martine Filippi Discovery Award – Grand Prix international Urti du documentaire d’auteur de Monte Carlo 2010. His short documentary Damascus Roof and Tales of Paradise won a prize at the Dubai Festival.