THE VILLAGE NEXT TO PARADISE wins at Marrakech International Film Festival

 

Mo Harrawe’s THE VILLAGE NEXT TO PARADISE won a Jury Prize at the closing ceremony of the 21st Marrakech International Film Festival on December 7th after holding its Arab World premiere at the Morrocan festival in the presence of its director and renowned Egyptian cinematographer Mostafa El Kashef.

 

THE VILLAGE NEXT TO PARADISE has already made a name for itself throughout its international festival tour, enjoying widespread popularity and packed screenings at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, where it held its world premiere at the festival's Un Certain Regard.

 

The film also enjoyed successful screenings at the Toronto, Durban, and Melbourne international film festivals, earning a slew of awards, including the Golden Hugo at the Chicago International Film Festival, Best Film at Cork, and Best Austrian Film at the Vienna Film Awards.

 

THE VILLAGE NEXT TO PARADISE — the first Somali film to grace the screens at Cannes — stars Ahmed Ali Farah, Anab Ahmed Ibrahim, and Ahmed Mohamud Saleban.

 

Within the film's windswept landscapes of a Somali village emerges a newly assembled family's tale; one in which they must navigate between diverse dreams amidst society's complex weave. Viewers are treated to the village's charming heart, immersed in the lives of the residents as they pursue their hopes against the rolling tides.

 

A critical success, the film has received glowing reviews from some of the best entertainment news websites in the industry, with Leila Latif of IndieWire saying that “Harawe’s debut has shown some extremely exciting potential for both him and the myriad stories and talents that lie within Somalia’s borders,” and Nikki Baughan of Screen Daily praising the film’s DOP, Mostafa El Kashef, for his “striking visual literacy” and Harawe for his “strong sense of authorship in every scene.”

 

Directed and written by Mo Harawe, THE VILLAGE NEXT TO PARADISE is edited by Joana Scrinzi and lensed by Mostafa El Kashef, who captivated Cannes’ audiences last year with his sensational short film I PROMISE YOU PARADISE, which won the festival's Critics' Week Rail d'Or for Best Short Film — making history as the first Egyptian film to win this award — and the Valbonne Audience Award.

 

The film is also edited by Joana Scrinzi, who received the Best Film Editing prize from the Austrian Film Award for her multi-award-winning film GREAT FREEDOM, with Nuur Abdulkadir serving as production designer.

 

The VILLAGE NEXT TO PARADISE is an international co-production that includes FreibeuterFilm (Austria), Kazak Productions (France), Niko Film (Germany), and Maanmaal ACC (Somalia).

 

As for the film’s sales and distribution, Totem Films handles international sales and Jour2Fête is responsible for international distribution. MAD Solutions’ sales arm MAD Distribution is in charge of the film’s distribution and sales rights in the MENA region.

 

Developed at the Torino Film Script Lab, the film received a post-production prize from the Atlas Workshops of the Marrakech Film Festival and a Locarno Industry award.

 

The Marrakech Film Festival ran from November 29th to December 7th.