myDylarama

Arab picks from LFF 2025

Abla Kandalaft, Alma — 2025-10-20T10:59:06Z

Aside from our recently reviewed Palestine 36, the BFI London Film Festival marked the festival run tailend for a number of films from the Arab world. Highlights include Erige Sehiri's Promised Sky, a rare, necessary, and beautifully dramatised account of migrant women from the Ivory Coast living in Tunisia, having made their way there for a variety of reasons (study, refuge...). Surprisingly few films have been made about intra-continental migration, despite this making up the vast majority of international migration patterns.

It doesn't make the women's plight any less harrowing. Erige Sehiri, who has a knack for filming female friendships, bonds and interactions with intimacy and heart (see Under the Fig Trees), tells the stories of Preacher Marie, young mother Naney and student Jolie who moved from their homeland in search of a better life. They end up looking after young Kenza, a 4 year-old girl washed ashore after losing her family in a perilous sea journey - a character heartbreakingly based on a real girl Erige met who did perish at sea with her mother. Sehiri's nuanced, moving depiction of motherhood - Naney missing her daughter and unable to be with her, Marie taking Kenza under her wing yet aware that the girl isn't hers - serves as a prism through which the hardship of the women's displacement is told. Yet, there are great moments of humour and joy showing the resilience of these women.

An utterly original, surreal and quite gripping pick is Khartoum, the result of five directors' efforts to piece together a heartfelt tribute to the Sudanese capital told throught the lives of five of its inhabitants. What started out as a UK backed small-scale project to create 5 short poems about Khartoum was entirely upended when the directors - one Brit and four Sudanese + the Khartoum residents they were filming were forced to flee following the outbreak of the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in 2023. They used what production money they had left to flee to Kenya and, once there, all eventually rekindled to put together a different film. In the absence of footage and filming locations, they end up drawing on a variety of other funding bodies and opportunities to use greenscreen and animation to re-create scenes of everyday life in Khartoum. It's done in a similar vein to The Act of Killing and although some of the scenes they "perform" are heartbreaking, the end film is full of humour, joy, and colour. While director Rawya Al Haj is keen to stress the importance of raising political awareness about the conflict in Sudan and counter media misinformation - very much a proxy war as opposed to a civil war - Khartoum is a truly uplifting, rousing love letter to the both the city and its people.

Zain Duraie's Sink is a (criminally) rare film from the Arab world that tackles complex family dynamics and mental health. Duraie handles the subject with so much nuance, maturity and compassion that it came as a surprise to find out this was her first feature. Her first foray into filmmaking was in fact as Annemarie Jacir's assistant and there's something of that same treatment of intergenerational banter, of the intimacy of everyday interactions. The film tells the story of a mum (Clara Khoury, also starring in The Voice of Hind Rajab) dealing with the deterioriation of her son's mental health and the eventual fallout on her personal and professional lives and the rest of the family. Unsurprisingly, Duraie found it near impossible to garner interest on the part of the usual line up of European funders and co-productions given the subject matter. Eventually, other funding partners stepped in and the film saw the light of the day after five years in the making.

Interview with Annette Westwood, director of This Little Girl

Alma, carrie — 2022-06-21T13:16:27Z

A mother with a substance misuse issue, has to prove herself on her path to recovery,
to prevent her child from being taken away from her and placed into care. We chat here with director Annette Westwood.

Where did the idea come from? Can you tell us a bit about your relationship or collaboration with Trevi?

THIS LITTLE GIRL was inspired by the amazing work of Trevi, a women's & children's charity & their unique residential rehabilitation centre. Their centre is one of the last of its kind in the UK where children can stay and accompany their mother whilst they undergo detox and therapeutic rehabilitation for substance misuse and related issues.

I was deeply moved and inspired by their work, having seen a documentary - I think with myself being a woman, from a working-class background having battled to overcome adversity and hardship in my own life, I felt compelled and passionate about telling a story inspired by the charity's work.

With the charity's support and co-operation, I was granted access to Trevi's Jasmine Mother's Recovery Centre, and had the opportunity of spending time speaking to resident mums & staff and to see first-hand the extraordinary work taking place. This gave an invaluable insight and understanding to help in the development of the film and to ensure the narrative was authentic and representative. The wonderful collaboration and generosity of spirit of Trevi continued throughout production, including some of the artwork seen in the film being created by the mums and children of Trevi's rehabilitation services.

How did you choose to tell this story? What did you specifically want to highlight?

THIS LITTLE GIRL follows Jessika, a single mother, on her journey in recovery with her daughter Zia and Jessika's relationship with Ruby, a fellow mother in recovery at the rehabilitation centre, through which the film looks to explore the complexities of parental substance misuse and drug addiction recovery.

The film offers us the opportunity to question ‘can a mother struggling with drug addiction change?' Whilst also exploring female relationships and challenging stereotypes of women, people with substance misuse issues and portrayals of British working-class people.

The vision of the film I'd best describe as British social realism with a poetic lens. As the story delves into the depths of exploring addiction, the film's style evolves to a luridly heightened sense of realism, with surrealist elements, looking to create a thought-provoking and compelling drama.

How did you get your crew together and select your cast?

For This Little Girl I worked alongside my sister Emma as our film's producer - we both decided very early in development that the film should be shot in our home region of the West Midlands - not only is the location an ideal fit for the film's narrative but the region also offers a fantastic array of talent. A large number of our crew were from the Midlands and local region, with other team members joining us who we'd collaborated with previously. The team were absolutely amazing, going above and beyond, especially as filming took place during the pandemic.

We were also incredibly lucky to have superb casting director Nikki Meadows on board, who did an outstanding job in helping us find our fantastic cast, including our sensational leading ladies - Shireenah Ingram (Black Girl Magic, Doctors, Amistat: Listen to the Silence), Debra Baker (It's a Sin, Body of Water, London Road), Madeleine MacMahon (Bruised Sky, Higher Ground, EastEnders) and Lowi Mushonga (Lowi began her acting career by playing Princess Lena's baby in THE SPANISH PRINCESS Series, she has also been involved in commercial and stills work and all of this at only 23 months old!)

Also, I'd a very clear idea in regards to the music for the film, and we were delighted to welcome on board Composer Falk Wünsch who provided the original score and to feature the music of Michael Clark and Gareth Owen.

What were the main hurdles for the production and shoot?

Certainly the main hurdles for the production and shoot were linked to the impact of Covid-19. There were many obstacles during the pandemic, including a change in filming location, budget adjustments and the extra steps to adhere to Covid-19 guidelines. Luckily, due to the rural location of the shoot and the fantastic efforts of the team and support of BFI NETWORK we were able to navigate our way around the issues as they presented themselves.

How did the BFI Network get involved?

I participated in both the BFI NETWORK Midlands Short Film Writers Lab and Talent Camp whilst in the development stage of the script. I found the BFI NETWORK workshops incredibly insightful, informative and inspiring. When the script was complete, we submitted a funding application for the film to the BFI NETWORK Short Film funding programme.

We were truly honoured to be successful and to receive awarding funds from The National Lottery to make This Little Girl. The support & guidance throughout production given by Midlands BFI NETWORK Talent Executive Alexzandra Jackson and the BFI NETWORK team were truly wonderful!

What is your background in film?

I graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, then worked as a professional actor for a number of years across film, television and theatre, in productions for the BBC, ITV & SMG.

Following my passion for filmmaking, I formed Midlands based film production company Hawkwood Productions, working alongside my sister Emma, and together as the Westwood Sisters we produced our debut short film Whoever You Are… The film won several awards on its festival run, including wins for Best Short, Best Indie Film and Best Inspirational Film at UK & International Film Festivals. The film went on to receive worldwide distribution with American entertainment company IndieFlix, through its global streaming service.

What are your hopes for this short?

I hope, as well being a compelling drama, this film invites opportunity for conversation, greater understanding and change in perception around parental substance misuse and drug addiction.

The sad reality is that in the UK a child is taken into care every 16 minutes, with two thirds of cases linked to parental substance misuse. Research shows that there are clear links between an individual's own experience of abuse and trauma and drugs and alcohol addiction.

The context of the the Covid-19 pandemic during shooting further highlighted the importance of shining a light on the issues the film explores. The global pandemic greatly contributed to a well-documented rise in addiction issues, and specifically for Trevi's services, they were running at capacity throughout this time.

Any highlights from the festival circuit?

We were honoured for This Little Girl to have its World Premiere in March at BAFTA Qualifying Underwire Festival 2022, which saw the film nominated in the Best Producing category. Another recent highlight was the film screening at BAFTA Qualifying Flatpack Festival 2022, as part of the BFI NETWORK Talent Camp in BFI NETWORK short films programme.

We are also thrilled that This Little Girl has been officially selected for the inaugural Kingston International Film Festival supported by Patrons BAFTA award-winning director Mike Newell & Academy award-winning actress Dame Vanessa Redgrave with the festival taking place in a few days' time.

What are your plans for the near future?

Having participated in BFI NETWORK Treatment Lab, being one of the writers to take part, gaining an oversight of the development process of writing a feature film treatment, and having participated in the BFI NETWORK Film Hub Midlands Directors Series, I'm working towards progressing from the short film format to make a feature.

You can find out more about the film on its official website and by checking out @LittleGirlFilm on Twitter.

Snapshots from Leeds International Film Festival 2021

Abla Kandalaft, Alma, Tom L.J. — 2021-11-21T20:57:27Z

Every year, the Leeds International Film Festival offers a carefully curated, diverse and exhaustive programme of feature films, retrospectives, shorts, music videos and more. Three members of the team were there. One of us was also part of the Jury for British and Yorkshire shorts! Here are some highlights away from the main feature competition programme.

Alien on Stage by Lucy Harvey and Danielle Kummer

A very amateur dramatics group of Dorset Bus Drivers spent a year creating a serious stage adaptation of the sci-fi, horror film, Alien. With wobbly sets, awkward acting and special effects requiring more luck than judgement.

The directors knew they had gold on their hands in the form of this hugely entertaining production. We as the viewers - and presumably as the audience of the actual live show - are never quite sure whether or not the cast and crew are in on the joke, which makes for some moments of awkward, guilt-ridden viewing, which mostly gives way to sheer enthusiasm and genuine big laughs. Kudos to the crew who in all earnestness put so much care and attention in recreating scenes from the film.

Music Video Awards

Here are our top 3 from the Leeds selection for you to enjoy!

Mary Ocher - For All We Know, directed by Yann Les Jours

Hak Baker - Irrelevant Elephant, directed by Jon E Price

Blake Mills - Money Is the One True God, directed by Lachlan Turczan

Blake Mills | Money Is The One True God from Lachlan Turczan on Vimeo.

Shorts and Animation

Aside from our delight at rewatching Joanna Quinn's Affairs of the Art, a Clermont favourite, our collective special mentions go to the mesmerising What Resonates in Silence directed by Marine Blin, the calming and soothing Pearl Diver by Norwegian film student Margrethe Danielsen, the funny, touching and well paced dark comedy An Irish Goodbye by Tom Berkeley and Ross White, short doc Hanging On by Alfie Barker, a glimpse at the human cost of gentrification and eviction, a creative, imaginative and personal take on much explored (but still relevant) issues in documentary.

We also liked Dan Thorburn's sombre, arresting and beautifully acted Salt Water Town and documentary maker Sema Basharan's The Branches are Hope; The Roots are Memory, an uplifting, poetic and very concrete look at the abstract concepts of peace and faith in the city of Bradford, also the well-deserved winner of the Yorkshire shorts competition. You can find Q&As with the latter two directors here and here.

We didn't have time to watch or cover everything, there were so many more gems to catch. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions you'd like to put to the Leeds team or the directors.

Chat with actress Yiga Gaolou - Damage Control, Channel 4 Random Acts

Alma, Mydylarama team — 2020-12-10T16:11:10Z

Yiga was recently seen in short film Damage Control, part of Channel 4's Random Acts: Black History Month.

We caught up with her over the phone to chat about her career, networking opportunities and finding work through Instagram during lockdown.

Find her on Instagram!

Somewhere at Palilula - East End film festival 2012

Alma — 2012-07-15T08:08:08Z

The East End Film Festival, which freshly finished its 12th edition last week, is known for hosting international premieres and supporting first and second time directors. This year it also held the UK premiere of Silviu Purcarete's cinematic debut. Already internationally established as a director of large-scale theatre, most notably for his ambitious adaptation of Goethe's Faust in large warehouses, the Romanian had not directed for film before Somewhere at Palilula, an absurd and highly dramatic portrait of a forsaken communist village in the 60s.

Told through the perspective of a newly appointed paediatrician, the story was inspired by anecdotes Purcarete had absorbed from a real-life friend who would embellish his own experiences. The narrative's political context is very relevant, as in those times the dictatorial regime would promise full employment to everyone but also offer inflexible work placements which forced many people to leave their homes and practice their trades in faraway and unlikely locations. In Serafim's case, he is a paediatrician in a village with no children and where the hospital's maternity ward is filled with drunken men. Every character and situation Serafim encounters are expressions of the village's way of coping with their isolation and choose to escape in an insane reality. At the polar opposite of today's employment crises, these “promises” of secure jobs were an ordeal nonetheless, because they constrained the human spirit in desolate circumstances.

After getting this message across, the film goes on a tangent and becomes self indulgent, turning into an empty albeit fantastic show. The isolated setting, reminding us slightly of von Trier's Dogville, shields the residents from normality and is therefore off-the wall and operatic, comparable to a Fellini dream sequence. It features a frog feast, foetuses in jars, looming witches, portentous surgeries, grotesque men and superstitious rituals. It is basically an invented pleasure that mixes the absurdity of communism with the confusion of postgraduate existence, in which artificiality becomes the norm and the only link to reality is the train that penetrates through the village and brings in visitors. It is a charming film if you haven't been exposed to Romanian idiosyncrasies and sense of humour, but beyond that it is a bit empty in terms of substance.

Purcarete's theatre legacy slips into remarkably ridiculous compositions and over the top acting, even the sound design seems to suggest voices reverberating to the last row of a theatre. The director mentioned in the Q&A that he had the story in mind since before he staged Faust, so the parallels that can be drawn between the two mediums are inherent to his expressive methods. The story being so artificial and escapist, he chose to portray it in this nightmarish Boschian style, as the political and social context lends itself to it. Shot in a large factory over 55 nights, the freezing winter set was usually around -5 °C every night, which probably helped the actors and crew delve into to the bizarreness the director wanted for Somewhere at Palilula.

A visually mesmerising film, we unfortunately had to watch a DVD copy because the film print was "stuck" at the Karlovy Vary Festival, but the organisers kindly gave us the choice of an alternate screening. Although Purcarete would have preferred it being viewed in the intended high quality, the eager punters agreed to be lenient and watch it from the DVD nonetheless. It was a nice understanding between the festival, the Romanian Cultural Institute and the audience, managing to avoid an unpleasant turn of events.