Shot in Turkey, the Syrian film is written and directed by Soudade Kaadan.
Vox Cinemas in Qatar screened Soudade Kaadan’s Syrian drama, Nezouh, at the Doha Festival City branch in collaboration with the Doha Film Institute on September 28. The other two screenings will take place on September 29 and 30 at 8 pm (Doha time), following a commercial release in Egypt.
Though its main theme is tackling the gruesomeness and horrifying effects of war, Nezouh 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.
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.
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).
MAD Solutions is spearheading the film’s distribution in the Arab world, while mk2 films manages its global sales. Additionally, the film secures distribution in France through Pyramide and is supported by financing from FILM4, BFI, and Stars Collective.
The film stars Syrian actress Kinda Alloush, Samir Al-Masri, Hala Zein, and Nizar Alani.
Nezouh was featured in more than 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 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.
