Under the Sky of Damascus
dir. Heba Khaled, Talal Derki, Ali Wajeeh / 2023 / Denmark, Germany, USA, Syria / 88min.
Special Mention in main competition for The Grand Prix – Bank Millennium Award; The Mayor of Gdynia Award
A group of young Syrian women embarks upon a radical project: producing a play that details and exposes the culture of misogyny and sexual abuse in their country.
A passionate tight-knit group of young Syrian women embarks upon a radical and perhaps controversial project: producing a play that details and exposes the culture of misogyny and sexual abuse that has been part of the everyday lives of women in their country for generations. But a dark incident both exemplifies and momentarily derails the project, forcing both filmmakers and the group to examine themselves and the direction the project is taking.The deeply unpleasant sense of patriarchal power keeps these women trapped without access to justice, with the stories often recounted in the film’s voice-over commentary by co-director Heba Khaled.
- duration:
- 88 min
- country / year of production:
- Denmark, Germany, USA, Syria / 2023
- director:
- Heba Khaled, Talal Derki, Ali Wajeeh
- cinematography:
- Raed Sandeed
- producer:
- Sigrid Dyekjær, Talal Derki, Heba Khaled, Beth Earl / Real Lava, Jouzour Film, Rustic Canyon, Sama Art
- selected festivals and awards:
- 2023 – Berlinale IFF, 2023 – CPH DOX: Copenhagen
- sections:
- competitions:
- tags:
