release date September 27 2023
NEZOUH finally hits Qatar’s VOX Cinemas
After a successful commercial release in Egypt, Soudade Kaadan’s acclaimed Syrian drama NEZOUH will finally grace the screens of Qatar’s VOX Cinemas (the Doha Festival City branch), in partnership with Doha Film Institute, on September 28th, 29th, and 30th at 8 pm (Doha time).
Though its main theme is tackling the gruesomeness and horrifying effects of war, NEZOUH masterfully intertwines a myriad of captivating themes that resonate with audiences worldwide, including love from the perspective of two teenagers, safety as an inner feeling, and finding happiness in the smallest things.
On both the Arab and international stages, NEZOUH has received significant critical acclaim, with Screen Daily’s Jonathan Holland describing it as “an intense and delicate film that bravely seeks to upend expectations of what the term ‘Syrian drama’ generally suggests — violence and victims.”
Renowned journalist and filmmaker Hany Beshr also praised the director’s work, mentioning that she “employed the natural lighting and shading elements to create some beautifully poetic scenes despite featuring completely destroyed buildings with no aesthetic values.”
Meanwhile, Jonathan Romney in the British Film Institute described it as “a dreamy picture of life under siege... Nezouh sets out to be a gentler, dreamier, more upbeat film about the experience of life during conflict and the prospect of displacement.”
NEZOUH takes place during the Syrian conflict, where a missile destroys the ceiling of the house of 14-year-old Zeina. As a result, she sleeps for the first time under the stars and makes friends with Amer — the boy next door.
When the violence escalates, Hala — Zeina's mother — decides to leave. She then gets into an argument with her husband, Motaz, who refuses to become a refugee and tries everything to stop his family from leaving their house.
Written and directed by Soudade Kaadan — who also co-produced it with Yu-Fai Suen — the film stars renowned Syrian actress Kinda Alloush, Samir Al-Masri, Hala Zein, and Nizar Alani and is produced by Berkeley Media Group Limited, KAF Production, and Agat Films & Cie, with worldwide distribution rights going to MK2 Films and Arab world sales handled by MAD Solutions.
NEZOUH was featured in over 20 international film festivals, including the Busan, São Paulo, Tokyo, India, Singapore, Fribourg, Arab Women Artists Now - AWAN, Tournai Ramdam, Tetouan, Cinemamed, Tromsø, and Qisah film festivals.
It also featured at Mostra de València – Cinema Del Mediterrani, Girls on Film Awards, Madrid Films by Women, the Official Competition of the International Film Festival of India, and the Panorama of North African and Middle Eastern Films.
So far, the film has several impressive achievements under its belt, including winning the Amnesty International Award at the MedFilm Festival in Morocco and being nominated for Best Film at the BFI London Film Festival, along with Best Effects and Best Lead Performance for Hala Zein at the British Independent Film Awards.
Additionally, it was supported by Torino Film Lab, the Doha Film Institute, and the British Film Institute when it was still in its project phase before going on to receive a Post-Production Award at the Cairo International Film Festival’s Cairo Film Connection, the Baumi Award for script development from the Berlinale, the ARTE at the Cannes Film Festival, and the Sorfond Award as part of Cinéfondation’s workshop.
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