Whale Belly a film by Sameh Alaa

Technical Information Sameh Alaa

Working Title: Whale Belly E-mail: [email protected] Director: Sameh Alaa Tel: +32 49717 99 23 Screenplay: Sameh Alaa Nationality: Egypt Genre: Drama Shooting location: Cairo, Egypt Duration: 90 min Production: CG Cinema

Director’s Information ­Festival de Cannes

Sameh Alaa is an Egyptian director, producer and screenwriter. 5, rue Charlot, F-75003 Paris Since 2000, the Festival even first feature film, and the His first short filmFifteen premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival 2017 and won several Tel. 33 (0) 1 53 59 61 20 Residence has provided each merits of their feature film project. awards in festivals around the world. Fax 33 (0) 1 53 59 61 24 year accommodation and sup- During their 4-and-a-half-month E-mail: port to twelve selected young stay in Paris, they work on the His last short filmI am Afraid to Forget your Face became the first Egyptian film to be awarded Whale Belly [email protected] directors in order to help them writing of their feature film pro- Palme d’Or in the Cannes Film Festival Short Film Competition 2020. The film continues its festival www.festival-cannes.org prepare their first or second fea- ject, have meetings with profes- run at San Sebastian Film Festival, Cairo Film Festival, Cleremont-Ferrand International, Palm Springs ture film. A jury presided by a film sionals and try, with the support a film by Sameh Alaa Film Festival, Moscow International Film Festival and many others. director sits twice a year, select- of the Cannes Film Festival, to His films have been showcased at the MOMA and also broadcasted on different TV channels, such ing these young filmmakers on bring their project to co-produc- as Canal +, Arte and Shahid. the basis of their short films, or tion status. Sameh is currently developing his debut feature film ‘Whale Belly’ at the Cinéfondation Résidence 2021 in Paris. Synopsis Statement of Intent Synopsis Note d’intention One night in a small seaside town in Egypt, The conflict between the younger generation Rim goes on a journey alone to save her Une nuit, dans une petite ville côtière d’Égypte, Le conflit entre la vieille et la jeune génération Rim entreprend un voyage en solitaire pour the sound of a whale keeps coming from the with the older generation in Egypt has father, and it turns out to be a journey le son d’une baleine ne cesse de venir de la en Égypte a toujours été un sujet de grand sauver son père, et ce voyage s’avère être sea but no one sees it. As the hospitals are always been a subject of great personal of self-discovery because for the first time in mer mais personne ne la voit. Les hôpitaux intérêt personnel. Le choc des idéologies un voyage à la découverte de soi car, pour full, Rim (17) is alone taking care of her sick interest to me. The clash of ideologies gives her life she gets to make decisions all by sont pleins, Rim (17 ans) est donc seule à donne lieu à des questions pertinentes la première fois de sa vie, elle doit prendre father when his condition rapidly deterio- rise to pertinent questions like “Who will herself and they are difficult ones. The fears s’occuper de son père malade lorsque son état comme « Qui va diriger – Qui devrait diriger des décisions toute seule, et elles sont rates. Seeing no other way out, Rim steals lead – Who should lead – Who is capable to and hopes of this young Egyptian girl, who se détériore rapidement. Ne voyant aucune – Qui est capable de diriger et d’apporter un difficiles. Les craintes et les espoirs de cette her father’s motorbike and embarks alone lead and make a change?” and I want to has been mourning freedom all her life, autre issue pour s’évader, Rim vole la moto changement ? » et je veux explorer cela dans jeune Égyptienne, qui a fait le deuil de la after midnight. Her journey takes her through explore that in my film. I believe it is not easy come to life in her journey through a strange de son père et part seule après minuit. Son mon film. Je crois qu’il n’est pas facile pour liberté toute sa vie, prennent vie dans son the darkest recesses of shady underworld for the younger generation to express night. voyage l’entraîne dans les recoins les plus la jeune génération d’exprimer ses sentiments voyage à travers une nuit étrange. En utilisant deals and dreamy encounters with strange their feelings and opinions because of fear Using the trope of magical realism, Whale sombres de la pègre et dans des rencontres et ses opinions par peur du jugement et de le trope du réalisme magique, Whale Belly characters. As her night precariously balances of judgment/punishment in general; but Belly tries to examine Rim’s suppressed rêvées avec d’étranges personnages. Alors que la punition en général, mais pour une fille, examine la psyché refoulée de Rim et sa between the real and the magical, will she for a girl it is astronomically harder in a highly psyche and its subsequent transformation. sa nuit oscille entre le réel et le magique, c’est beaucoup plus difficile dans une société transformation ultérieure. be able to keep her father alive? patriarchal society. parviendra-t-elle à garder son père en vie ? hautement patriarcale.