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The Village next to Paradise

Mo Harawe
festival
Fri 25 Apr 25 - Sun 4 May 25
  • kijkwijzer14

Calm, restrained and slow cinema with a lot of local color. Harawe, born and raised in Mogadishu, emigrated to Austria in 2009 where he uses film to keep the memories of his home country Somalia alive.

A windswept fishing village in Somalia. Mamargade, a single father, takes on various odd jobs so as to give his son a better life. After her divorce, his sister Araweelo moved in with them. Together, they each follow their personal dreams in a country ravaged by civil war and natural disasters.

Director Mo Harawe, together with his cameraman, has developed a cinematic language in which almost every frame impresses by its ingenuity. While the film is thematically driven, it is primarily a film that seeks to explore and understand the depth of its characters. The slow rhythm adds to this depth. There are often moments of silence before a character speaks, so that you probably already sense what will be said.

direction
Mo Harawe
cast
Axmen Cali Faarax, Canab Axmed Ibraahin, Ahmed Mohamoud Salleban
duration
132 min
year
2024
country
Somalia
language
Somali
Subtitles
French, Dutch
  • kijkwijzer14

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Mo Harawe

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"Harawe’s debut draws on a small canvas but manages to wring authentic emotions." − Variety