Maha Haj’s UPSHOT takes home two awards from 77th Locarno Film Festival

 

After a successful world premiere at the 77th Locarno Film Festival — where the film competed at the Pardi di Domani – Corti d'Autore Competition — Maha Haj’s poignant Palestinian short UPSHOT walked home with the Pardino d’Oro Swiss Life for Best Auteur Short Film Award and the Junior Jury Award for the Best Auteur Short Film at the Swiss festival’s closing ceremony on Saturday, where Haj herself received the award.

 

The film received widespread audience and critical acclaim, with Samuel Lembo of Sinistra.ch saying, “[The film] is a punch to the gut and a strong blow to the heart. [It’s] a roar for Palestine at Locarno.”

 

Meanwhile, film critic Mohamed Reda described the film as “one of the best films [he’s] seen this year,” gushing about it in The Middle East Newspaper and praising it's acting, comparing it to a “harmonious musical duet.”

 

“Everything fits in its place, and the rhythm is fluid, yet [the film] isn't in a hurry to reach that twist, which could have been squandered if the overall approach had not been consistent from the start.”

 

Commenting on the theme of her short, Haj said, “UPSHOT is both a lamentation and a testament to the indomitable power of the human spirit.”

 

“In a world defined by suffering, Suleiman and Lubna's journey is a poignant reminder of the boundless resilience of the human imagination. With a narrative set in the future, this film confronts the stark reality of a nation scarred by decades of conflict. There are no easy answers, no political solutions to assuage the anguish of parents who have lost everything. And so, it unfolds in a realm unbound by time or place — a poignant reflection of the irreparable loss that defies earthly confines.”

 

UPSHOT is the latest film written and directed by the acclaimed Palestinian filmmaker Maha Haj — whose last feature film, MEDITERRANEAN FEVER, won the Best Screenplay Prize in the Un Certain Regard sidebar of the Cannes Film Festival in 2022.

 

Set against the backdrop of Gaza's enduring strife, UPSHOT is a gripping drama brought to life by a starry cast headlined by Mohammed Bakri — who received numerous awards for his works, including  Berlinale’s Free Speech Bear Award — alongside Areen Omari, and Amer Hlehel. The film is lensed by Augustin Bonnet and edited by Veronique Lange, with production design handled by Saher Dwairy.

 

It tells the story of Suleiman and Lubna, a couple who retreat to a mist-shrouded, isolated farm as they try to cope with unspeakable loss. Through the alchemy of storytelling, Suleiman and Lubna conjure a parallel reality free of their pain in which their lives unfold in vivid detail. But when a journalist intrudes upon their sanctuary, wielding the blunt force of truth, the fragile illusion they've constructed threatens to unravel.

 

UPSHOT is a joint production between Palestine, Italy, and France, and is produced by Ramallah-based company August Films with Hanna Atallah and Ronza Kamel — the two of which are also co-producing THANK YOU FOR BANKING WITH US, which is in post-production.