Feature film
ليالي ابن آوى
Abdellatif Abdelhamid · 1989
Synopsis
A family farms the land in an isolated house in the mountains of the coast. The father rules. The eldest has settled in the city to study, in truth to flee, and leads a life his father still knows nothing of. The second son, who has stayed in the fields, finds refuge with the neighbour. The youngest wants nothing, the mother speaks little. Outside, the radio announces victories, and the father listens to it without leaving its side until the day when he will have to believe it or not.
Context
The idea comes from a real evening: the filmmaker's father, returned to civilian life, had brought his family back to the countryside, and jackals began to howl around the house; the mother put her hand to her mouth, whistled, and everything fell silent. Thirty years later he made a film of it, in which the father is a lord by day and deflates once night has fallen. Produced by the state organisation, it is his first feature film, and the awards came from Damascus, Corsica and France.
Who it is for
A feature film in Arabic, never released in France; the humour serves to get across what cannot be said, and the mother's role is among the most memorable in Syrian cinema.
Prizes and reception
Golden Sword of Damascus and the acting prize for Asaad Fedda in 1989, Golden Olive in Corsica the same year, the golden prize of the Annonay International First Film Festival the following year.