Selected in Official Competition at the last LuxFilmFest and winner of the 2030 Award by Luxembourg Aid & Development, The Village Next to Paradise by Mo Harawe is our April LuxFilmLab.
The International Jury (Mohammad Rasoulof, Trine Dyrholm, Valerie Pachner, Albert Serra, Jeff Desom & Paul Laverty) was also keen to give the film a special mention: “We would like to make a special mention of the film The Village Next to Paradise by Mo Harawe, shot in Somalia. It is a brave, bold, and multi-layered story which was appreciated by the Jury.”
Mamargade lives with his son in a small village in the heart of the Somali desert. He survives on odd jobs, but competition is fierce and his situation becomes precarious. His sister, a young woman recently divorced over her husband’s desire for polygamy, comes to live with them. She dreams of opening her own shop, but the path is fraught with obstacles.
A debut film of remarkable visual beauty and dramatic intensity, not to be missed!
About LuxFilmLab :
The first Wednesday of every month, LuxFilmLab – a joint initiative by Luxembourg City Film Festival and Kinepolis – highlights one feature film, chosen in cooperation by LuxFilmFest’s team and the Kinepolis programme team. A member of the Festival programming team introduces the special LuxFilmLab screenings, with the aim of supporting films whose release dates didn’t allow for them to be selected for the Festival itself but whose artistic qualities would very likely have led to their inclusion in the LuxFilmFest line-up.
*LuxFilmFest isn’t involved in the commercial aspects of these screenings. Access to the screenings and ticket prices are set by Kinepolis.
