Skip to main content
Valley of Exile film image

Valley of Exile

This event has passed

Canadian Premiere

Set in the early years of the Syrian war, Valley of Exile chronicles the journey of Rima and Nour, two sisters who find unexpected refuge in a makeshift settlement in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley after fleeing war-torn Damascus. Older sister Rima, who is eight months pregnant, is set on reuniting with her husband and rebuilding their lives in Lebanon, while younger sister Nour is determined to find their missing brother and eventually returns home to Syria.​ In the camp, the sisters forge alliances with other women who are similarly forced to live without the support of family they’ve lost to the war. This propels them onto separate paths. But as days in the camp turn to weeks, Rima and Nour begin to realize that their exile is not only a struggle for survival, but ultimately a test of loyalty to their country, their family and each other. Director Anna Fahr portrays the beauty that exists in humanity in even the hardest times. The strong female leads and matriarchal emphasis distinguish this movie from other films of this type.

 

September 30 & October 1: Q&A with director Anna Fahr

 

Community Partner

Director
Cast

Maria Hassan, Hala Hosni, Michel Hourani, Najwa Kondakji, Joy Hallak, Sajed Amer

Credits
Country of Origin

Canada/Lebanon

Year

2023

Series

Focus

Language

In Arabic with English subtitles

Film Contact
Links
Content Warning

War, Famine, Refugee Camps

18+
106 min
Drama Women Directors

Book Tickets

This event has passed.

Credits

Executive Producer

Paul Scherzer, Aeschylus Poulos

Producer

Lara Abou Saifan, Anna Fahr

Screenwriter

Anna Fahr

Cinematography

Mark Khalife

Editor

Anna Fahr, Wajdi Elian

Production Design

Pamela Khadra

Original Music

Alan Spiljak

Director

Anna Fahr headshot

Anna Fahr

Anna Fahr is an Iranian-Canadian-American filmmaker and founder of Morning Bird Pictures, a Toronto-based production company dedicated to creating films and new media that focus on the contemporary Middle East and diaspora. Her latest projects include the award-winning interactive web-docs, Migrant Mothers of Syria and My Life in Limbo. Her last dramatic short, Transit Game was shot in north Lebanon and screened in 50+ international festivals, winning prizes in Berlin, San Francisco and Florence. Anna’s first feature documentary, Khaneh Ma: These Places We Call Home, screened in international festivals and was theatrically released in Montreal. Valley of Exile is her debut narrative feature.

Filmography: Khaneh Ma: These Places We Call Home (2006)

Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre

East of Eden

Dir. Elia Kazan
115 min

Salinas, 1917. Cal Trask's forlorn attempts to win the affection of his self-righteous father (Raymond Massey) represented James Dean's first leading role in the cinema, and his emotionally raw performance ennobled misunderstood youth everywhere.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

Jesse Zubot in Concert

Dir. Liz Cairns
180 min

Using a violin, viola and miscellaneous electronics, and incorporating multiple sounds and techniques that relate to his work as a film composer, Jesse Zubot promises a unique and thrilling concert, followed by a preview of the the new BC film Inedia.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Rebel Without a Cause

Dir. Nicholas Ray
111 min

Kids turned bad in the 1950s -- and their newly comfortable middle-class parents couldn't understand why. Ray points the finger right back at them: "You're tearing me apart!" rails Jim Stark (James Dean), speaking for his generation.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Super Happy Forever

Dir. Kohei Igarashi
94 min

This beguiling film depicts a man’s return to the Japanese seaside town where he met his now-deceased wife five years earlier. He tries to relive the past, and in the film's final section -- a flashback to 2018 -- the audience is afforded that privilege.

VIFF Centre - Lochmaddy Studio Theatre

A Streetcar Named Desire

Dir. Elia Kazan
122 min

"I don't want realism. I want magic!" declares Blanche du Bois, the tragic heroine who meets her nemesis in her sister's husband, Stanley Kowalski, in Tennessee Williams' great play. Brando's performance as Stanley is a turning point in American acting.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema

Giant

Dir. George Stevens
198 min

This was the Yellowstone of its time: a big, sweeping modern Western built around an imposing ranch and family dynamics -- except Giant is much more subversive. James Dean strikes it rich as Jett Rink, much to the disgust of his former boss, Rock Hudson.

VIFF Centre - VIFF Cinema