The film received Baumi Award for script development from Berlinale and has been awarded ARTE at Cannes Film Festival.
In the 79th edition of the Venice International Film Festival, Nezouh starring Syrian actress Kinda Alloush and directed by Soudade Kaadan, premiered at Orizzonti Extra competition.
During its premiere at Venice’s Sala Giardino, the film was well received by audiences in the presence of actress Kinda Alloush, actor Samer Al Masri, and director Soudade Kaadan. The film takes place during the Syrian conflict when a missile destroys the ceiling of the house of 14-year-old Zeina (Hala Zein). As a result, she sleeps for the first time under the stars and makes friends with Amer (Nizar Alani), the boy next door. When the violence escalates, Zeina’s mother, Hala, (Kinda Alloush) decides to leave. She fights with her husband Motaz (Samer Al Masri) who refuses to become a refugee and tries everything to stop his family from leaving his house.
Shot in Turkey, Nezouh is written and directed by Soudade Kaadan. It’s produced by KAF Productions (Soudade Kaadan) and Berkeley Media Group (Yu-Fai Suen) in association with Ex Nihilo (Marc Bordure). Nezouh stars Kinda Alloush, Samer Al Masri, Hala Zein, Nizar Alani and Darina Al Joundi, and lensed by prominent cinematographer Hélène Louvart. Mad Solutions manages the film’s distribution in the Arab world while mk2 films is in charge of the film’s worldwide sales. Moreover, it is distributed in France by Pyramide and is financed through FILM4 and Stars Collective.
On a further note, Kinda Alloush will continue her global festival tour days after the conclusion of Venice, where she will participate in this year’s edition of the Tornonto International Film Festival with her film The Swimmers.
The Swimmers is based on the true story of two Syrian sisters, Yousra and Sarah Mardini, who were forced to flee Damascus due to war and swim in the Mediterranean Sea to compete in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Directed by Sally Husseini, the film stars Kinda Alloush, the two sisters Manal Issa and Nathalie Issa, Ali Suliman, Ahmed Malek, James Krishna Floyd, and Matthias Schweighöfer.
