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Somali feature THE VILLAGE NEXT TO PARADISE commercially releases in Morocco
12 September 2025
Following its successful commercial run in Paris and Cairo, the acclaimed Somali feature THE VILLAGE NEXT TO PARADISE — the first-ever film shot in Somalia to screen at Cannes — has kicked off its cinematic release in Morocco with 11 screenings at Cinémathèque de Tanger, running from through Saturday, September 27th.
Since its widely acclaimed world premiere at Cannes, the film has screened at over 25 international festivals, including Toronto, BFI London, Karlovy Vary, Melbourne, and Durban, garnering more than 15 awards. Highlights include five wins at the Austrian Film Academy Awards, Best Austrian Film at Viennale, the Jury Prize at the Marrakech International Film Festival, the Golden Hugo Award in the New Directors Competition at the Chicago International Film Festival, and Best Film at the Cork International Film Festival.
A poignant take on Somali life that is written and directed by Mo Harawe as his feature-length directorial debut, THE VILLAGE NEXT TO PARADISE is set in a windy Somali desert village and revolves around a newly assembled family that must navigate between their different aspirations and the complex world surrounding them. Love, trust, and resilience will power them through their life paths—even amidst the throes of civil war and natural disasters.
Featuring a cast of rising Somali talents, including Ahmed Ali Farah, Ahmed Mohamud Saleban, and Anab Ahmed Ibrahim, the film received widespread acclaim from international critics.
Leila Latif of Indiewire hailed it as “extremely exciting” for telling the “stories and talents that lie within Somalia's borders.” And Les Inrockuptibles' Marilou Duponchel wrote that Harawe "delivers some invigorating news about young Somali cinema in an impressively masterful first feature.” Meanwhile, Adham Youssef of The Film Verdict called the film "visually striking and masterfully told," and Dmovies' Eoghan Lyng simply declared it “a spellbinding drama from Somalia.”
THE VILLAGE NEXT TO PARADISE is an international co-production that brings together FreibeuterFilm (Austria), Kazak Productions (France), Niko Film (Germany), and Maanmaal ACC (Somalia), with Totem Films of France handling international sales. French theatrical distribution is handled by Jour2Fête and MENA distribution by MAD Distribution.
The film is lensed by Mostafa El Kashef, who has already won several Best Cinematography awards for his work on the film, including accolades at the Carthage Film Festival and the Austrian Academy Film Awards. His recent works also include Morad Mostafa’s feature debut, AISHA CAN'T FLY AWAY, a tense drama about African migrants, which made history as the first Egyptian film to win the Venice Film Festival’s Jury Prize for Best Film in Post-Production at the Final Cut in Venice and competed in the Un Certain Regard section of the 78th Cannes Film Festival, marking the first Egyptian film to do so in nine years.
It is also edited by Joana Scrinzi, who received the Best Film Editing prize from the Austrian Film Award for her multi-award-winning film GREAT FREEDOM, with Nuur Abdulkadir serving as production designer.
Born in Mogadishu, Mo Harawe is a Berlinale Talents alumni who won a prestigious scholarship from the Austrian Federal Ministry for the Arts in 2019 and has been studying for a master’s degree in Visual Communication at the Art University in Kassel since 2020.
His filmography includes several compelling short films. Among them are LIFE ON THE HORN, which received a Special Mention at the Locarno Film Festival and Best Short Film award at the Carthage Film Festival, and WILL MY PARENTS COME AND SEE ME, which celebrated its world premiere at Berlinale Shorts and won the Grand Prix at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival.
Since its widely acclaimed world premiere at Cannes, the film has screened at over 25 international festivals, including Toronto, BFI London, Karlovy Vary, Melbourne, and Durban, garnering more than 15 awards. Highlights include five wins at the Austrian Film Academy Awards, Best Austrian Film at Viennale, the Jury Prize at the Marrakech International Film Festival, the Golden Hugo Award in the New Directors Competition at the Chicago International Film Festival, and Best Film at the Cork International Film Festival.
A poignant take on Somali life that is written and directed by Mo Harawe as his feature-length directorial debut, THE VILLAGE NEXT TO PARADISE is set in a windy Somali desert village and revolves around a newly assembled family that must navigate between their different aspirations and the complex world surrounding them. Love, trust, and resilience will power them through their life paths—even amidst the throes of civil war and natural disasters.
Featuring a cast of rising Somali talents, including Ahmed Ali Farah, Ahmed Mohamud Saleban, and Anab Ahmed Ibrahim, the film received widespread acclaim from international critics.
Leila Latif of Indiewire hailed it as “extremely exciting” for telling the “stories and talents that lie within Somalia's borders.” And Les Inrockuptibles' Marilou Duponchel wrote that Harawe "delivers some invigorating news about young Somali cinema in an impressively masterful first feature.” Meanwhile, Adham Youssef of The Film Verdict called the film "visually striking and masterfully told," and Dmovies' Eoghan Lyng simply declared it “a spellbinding drama from Somalia.”
THE VILLAGE NEXT TO PARADISE is an international co-production that brings together FreibeuterFilm (Austria), Kazak Productions (France), Niko Film (Germany), and Maanmaal ACC (Somalia), with Totem Films of France handling international sales. French theatrical distribution is handled by Jour2Fête and MENA distribution by MAD Distribution.
The film is lensed by Mostafa El Kashef, who has already won several Best Cinematography awards for his work on the film, including accolades at the Carthage Film Festival and the Austrian Academy Film Awards. His recent works also include Morad Mostafa’s feature debut, AISHA CAN'T FLY AWAY, a tense drama about African migrants, which made history as the first Egyptian film to win the Venice Film Festival’s Jury Prize for Best Film in Post-Production at the Final Cut in Venice and competed in the Un Certain Regard section of the 78th Cannes Film Festival, marking the first Egyptian film to do so in nine years.
It is also edited by Joana Scrinzi, who received the Best Film Editing prize from the Austrian Film Award for her multi-award-winning film GREAT FREEDOM, with Nuur Abdulkadir serving as production designer.
Born in Mogadishu, Mo Harawe is a Berlinale Talents alumni who won a prestigious scholarship from the Austrian Federal Ministry for the Arts in 2019 and has been studying for a master’s degree in Visual Communication at the Art University in Kassel since 2020.
His filmography includes several compelling short films. Among them are LIFE ON THE HORN, which received a Special Mention at the Locarno Film Festival and Best Short Film award at the Carthage Film Festival, and WILL MY PARENTS COME AND SEE ME, which celebrated its world premiere at Berlinale Shorts and won the Grand Prix at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival.
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