Soudade Kaadan’s NEZOUH holds successful premiere at RSIFF
09 December 2022:
Soudade Kaadan’s Syrian drama NEZOUHheld its Arab world premiere on Wednesday at the 2022 Red Sea International Film Festival — which is taking place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from the 1st to the 10th of December — at the festival’s main competition.
Receiving a standing ovation, the film garnered widespread critical acclaim from the festival’s attendees, including from prominent figures such as Saba Mubarak, Poussy Shalaby, Ingy El-Mokadem, and Mostafa Shehata, along with renowned film critic Tarek El-Shennawi and former director of El-Gouna Film Festival Entishal Al-Tamimi during its debut at the Ritz-Carlton's Red Sea Cinema.
The screening was followed by a constructive Q&A with the film’s director as well as the cast and crew that witnessed much interaction from the festival’s attendees, who expressed their enjoyment of the film and the discourse that followed.
NEZOUH will have one more screening on Thursday, December 8th at 4:30 pm at VOX Cinema 1 - Red Sea Mall.
Starring Kinda Alloush, Hala Zein, Samir Al-Masri, and Nizar Alani, NEZOUH had its world premiere at the 79th edition of the Venice Film Festival’s Orizzonti Extra Competition, where it nabbed the Audience Award presented by Armani Beauty — the festival's main sponsor — making it the first Arab film to receive it.
It also received the Lanterna Magica Award, which was presented by Cinecircoli Giovanili Socioculturali (CGS), completing director Soudade Kaadan's hattrick from Venice, which started when her first film, THE DAY I LOST MY SHADOW, was awarded the Lion of the Future Award at the Orizzonti Competition.
The film takes place during the Syrian conflict, when 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 (Nizar Alani) — the boy next door.
When the violence escalates, Hala (Kinda Alloush) — Zeina's mother — decides to leave, getting into an argument with her husband, Motaz (Samer Al-Masri), who refuses to become a refugee and tries everything to stop his family from leaving their house.
MAD Solutions is managing the film's distribution in the Arab world, while mk2 films is handling the film's worldwide sales. Moreover, it is being distributed in France by Pyramide and financed through FILM4, BFI, and Stars Collective.
