After being presented in the “What We Look” competition, A tribute to the Somali film “The Village Next to Paradise”
Sudan Events – Agencies
The Somali film “The Village Next to Paradise” by director Mohamed Harawi received praise and crowded screenings at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, which continues until May 25, where its world premiere was held in the “Un Certain Regard” section in the presence of the cast and crew.
Dignitaries, celebrities, critics and international media figures flocked to see the long-awaited film, with the general public praising the film and its director, both receiving a standing ovation after the premiere.
The premiere was also attended by special guests and friends of the cast, such as Reem Al Adl, the most prolific and distinguished fashion designer in the Middle East, director of Photography, Abdel Salam Musa, and the producers Amjad Abu Al-Ala and Mohamed Al-Omda, who were behind the famous film and winner of the Freedom Prize at the Cannes Film Festival last year, Goodbye Julia.
The film received many distinguished critical acclaim, most notably written in Christopher Forlias’ review for Variety. The director began to explore life in the country he left behind, using cinema to bridge the gap between memories of his homeland and the way European lenses depict Somalia. He notes in his review: The director resists the urge to portray Somalis as helpless victims. Haraway is more interested in probing the intimate bonds of his unconventional but close-knit family unit, while exploring how individuals take or evade responsibility for their actions.
As Fabien Lemercier wrote for Cineuropa, Haraway imposes his wonderful sense of creating a cinematic image on a poignant and succinct tale that illustrates the misfortunes of the Somali people and their resilience, and he continues, saying: The film takes its time to paint, through a small family, a picture of a Somalia where the present is very harsh. The past is heavy with those who have disappeared, and the future is ambiguous.
“Haraway’s debut feature-length work has demonstrated some very exciting possibilities for him and the countless stories and talents within Somalia’s borders,” Leila Latif wrote for IndieWire under the headline “A Promising Beginning.”
The film project “The Village Next to Paradise” won a number of production grants, including a World Cinema Fund grant at the Berlin Film Festival. The film project also won a post-production grant (20 thousand euros) from Atlas Workshops at the Marrakesh International Film Festival. The attendees expressed their admiration for the film. They particularly praised the cinematography by Egyptian photographer Mostafa Al-Kashef.
