Nezouh

Most tales of war show the drama on the battlefield, but Nezouh rather focuses on the realities of everyday life. This warm drama is a story of a small family in Damascus and their fears, hopes, and dreams.

Should we stay or should we go – that is the conflict at the heart of the Syrian family drama Nezouh. 14-year-old Zeina lives with her parents in war-torn Damascus. Her father refuses to let go of the life they had, and insists on staying in their apartment even after a bomb blows a hole in their roof and wall. Her mother is adamant that staying there is too dangerous. While her parents fight, Zeina looks out of the hole in the wall and fantasizes – about the ocean, the sky, and freedom.

Nezouh is a heartfelt drama that delicately balances tragedy with touches of comedy, and a story of war where the war itself only serves as a backdrop. The film’s focus is on everyday life that continues in spite of the terrible conditions. The ruined apartment and the family’s strong attachment to it have a powerful symbolic function, as does the hole in the wall. For Zeina, it represents a window to the world and a different life waiting beyond the horizon.

«An intense and delicate film that bravely seeks to upend expectations of what the term “Syrian drama” generally suggests — violence and victims.» – Jonathan Holland, Screen International

TIFF (Atli Bjarnason)

Director

Soudade Kaadan (b. 1979) is a Syrian filmmaker, born in France. She has theatre criticism in Damascus and filmmaking at Saint Joseph University in Beirut, Lebanon. She has directed and produced documentary films for Al Jazeera and UNICEF, among others. Her debut feature The Day I Lost My Shadow (2018) was screened at Arab Film Days in 2019. Nezouh is her second feature film.

This film is part of