North American Premiere
Inspired by recent terrorist atrocities in the Mghila Mountains of Northwest Tunisia, this chilling drama centers on Achraf, a 13-year-old boy who witnesses the brutal killing of his cousin and is forced to relay the message to the victim’s family. The event shakes the small community of shepherds to their core, with the missing body adding to the angst and heartache as they debate how to give the victim a decent burial.
In his second feature outing (after Burning Hope), co-writer and director Lotfi Achour firmly establishes his cinematic footprint, demonstrating a sophisticated tonal register tinged with touches of magical realism that allow him to mine for moments of profound dignity and visual elegance amidst the prevailing grief and despair. Ali Helali is remarkable in the role of a boy faced with reconciling his community’s expectations, all the while trying to process a deeply scarring experience.
Sept 28 & 29: Q&A with director Lotfi Achour
Presented by
Media Partner
Community Partner
Ali Helali, Yassine Samouni, Wided Dabebi, Jemii Lamari, Latifa Gafsi, Salha Nasraoui, Younes Naouar
Tunisia/France/Belgium/
Poland
2024
In Arabic with English subtitles
Child abuse, graphic violence
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Producer
Anissa Daoud, Sébastien Hussenot, Lotfi Achour
Screenwriter
Natacha de Pontcharra, Lotfi Achour
Cinematography
Wojciech Staron
Editor
Ewin Ryckaert, Malek Chatta
Production Design
Mohamed Mouhli
Original Music
Venceslas Catz, Jawhar Basti
Lotfi Achour
Born in Tunis, Lotfi Achour is an author, director, and producer. He trained at the Grenoble Conservatory and studied theater and cinema at the Sorbonne Institute of Theatrical Studies. He has directed four short films, including La laine sur le dos (2016), which was nominated in the short film category at the 69th Cannes Film Festival. His films have participated in numerous international festivals and have garnered over 450 awards.
Filmography: Burning Hope (2016)
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
The Blue Trail
77-year-old Tereza makes a break for the Brazilian jungle in this trippy septuagenarian fantasy, the latest from Brazilian director Gabriel Mascaro is a quirky picaresque, lushly photographed and filled with mordant humour.
Calle Málaga
Seventy-nine-year-old María Ángeles lives independently in Tangier's Spanish quarter. When her daughter pressures her into selling her apartment, she refuses to give in, finding in her old age a new resilience and an unexpected romantic connection.
Two Prosecutors
In the midst of Stalin’s purges, a naïve prosecutor sets out to investigate a prisoner’s innocence, unaware of the labyrinthine bureaucracy awaiting him. A Kafkaesque procedural thriller about the pursuit of justice in the face of corruption.
Image: © SBS Productions
The Skeleton of Mrs Morales
In this delightful black comedy, an avuncular taxidermist (our old amigo Arturo de Córdova) is beloved by many but not his wife (Amparo Rivelles), a religious fanatic who can't bear to be touched. One day she pushes him too far...
The Eyes of Ghana
In his debut feature doc Ben Proudfoot unearths the story — and the images — of Chris Hesse, personal cameraman to Ghana's revolutionary leader, Kwame Nkrumah, who was deposed in a coup in 1966. This is a fascinating history reclaimed from the archives.