MORNING FEARS, NIGHT CHANTS
IDFA 2012 | 36min | HD ProResHQ, 5.1 & Stereo | Arabic | English subtitles | Syria & Egypt
“ A young Syrian woman doesn't share her parents' beliefs, but she's still been locked up inside their belief system all her life.”
— IDFA
FESTIVALS & SCREENINGS
IDFA Panorama 2012
Alarabiya
Arte France
FILM TEAM
Co-directors: Diana El Jeiroudi & Guevara Namer
(credited with their aliases as Salma Aldeiri and Roula Ladqani)
A Syrian-Egyptian Co-Production
Producers: Diana El Jeiroudi & Orwa Nyrabia
Editor: Diana El Jeiroudi
Camera: Guevara Namer
Sound Edit and design: Video Bjorn
Color Grading: Proaction Film
International Sales: No Nation Films GmbH
Support
Arab Fund for Arts & Culture
International Media Support
SYNOPSIS
A young Syrian woman doesn’t share her parents’ beliefs, but she’s still been locked up inside their belief system all her life. Because she is a young woman, her parents almost never allow her to leave the house, let alone participate in activities against the Syrian regime. But she rebels anyway. She writes and sings protest songs in secret, in the hope that they will encourage others to start thinking for themselves, and to believe in a better tomorrow with more freedom. For 37 minutes, we watch and hear about what motivates this young woman. Neither she nor the people around her ever appear identifiable on-screen. Even the voices are manipulated to keep the chance of recognition to a minimum. This makes it painfully clear what kind of world they’re living in – and how far their dreams and desires are removed from the reality of their lives. But in spite of it all, the woman continues to write and sing – so that she doesn’t have to stand by and look on powerlessly, and so she can experience just a tiny part of the freedom she’s dreaming of.
SALES & FESTIVALS CONTACTS
International Sales
No Nation Films