A debut film of remarkable visual beauty and dramatic intensity
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.
In its photography and tightly controlled framing, this debut film delicately explores the relationships between its characters, capturing their silences, looks, and expectations. It also portrays the socio-political situation in Somalia, as well as the difficulty for women to assert their independence.
New Directors Competition, Chicago International Film Festival, 2024, us
Special Jury Award, Feature Film, Marrakech International Film Festival, 2024, ma
Best Actress, Sarajevo Film Festival, 2024, ba
Best Film, Cork International Film Festival, 2024, ie
Honorable Mention, CineCoPro Award, Munich Film Festival, 2024, de
Best Austrian Film, Viennale, 2024, at
Mo HARAWE
Born in Mogadishu, Somalia, Mo Harawe is a screenwriter and director of Somali and Austrian origin. After studying visual communication and cinema at the Kunsthochschule Kassel, Mo Harawe made several notable short films: Life on The Horn (2022), which received a special mention at the Locarno International Film Festival, and Will My Parents Come to See Me (2022), which won the Grand Prize at the Clermont-Ferrand Festival. The Village Next to Paradise is his first feature film.
