The Dam

  • a film by Ali Cherri
  • Spielfilm
  • 80 min
  • 2021
Trailer
Info

  • Genre

    • Drama

  • Countries of Production

    • France / Sudan / Lebanon / Germany / Serbia / Qatar

  • Language

    • Arabic

  • World premiere

    • 24th May 2022 – Cannes (Directors‘ Fortnight)

  • a production by

    • KinoElektron (France)

  • in co-production with

    • Galerie Imane Fares (France), DGL Travel (Sudan), Twenty Twenty Vision Filmproduktion GmbH (Germany), Trilema (Serbia)

  • with the support of

    • Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée Institut Français, Doha Film Institute, ARTE/COFINOVA 17, Arab Fund for Arts and Culture, World Cinema Fund, Art Jameel, Film Center Serbia – Ministry of Culture and Information, Onassis Culture, Indie Sales Company, Image/Mouvement du Centre National Des Arts Plastiques, Fondation Nationale Des Arts Graphiques Et Plastiques, [N.A!] Project, Hubert Bals Fund of International Film Festival Rotterdam

  • World Sales

    • Indie Sales Company

  • Distribution

    • Twenty Twenty Vision
Synopsis

Sudan, near the Merowe Dam. Maher works in a traditional brickyard fed by the waters of the Nile. Every evening, he secretly wanders off into the desert to build a mysterious construction made of mud. While the Sudanese people rise to claim their freedom, his creation starts to take a life of its own…

Cast

  • Maher

    • Maher El Khair
Crew

  • Written by

    • Ali Cherri, Geoffroy Grison / in collaboration with Bertrand Bonello

  • Directed by

    • Ali Cherri

  • Producers

    • Janja Kralj, Rémi Bonhomme, Imane Fares, Alsamoual Hussein, Thanassis Karathanos, Martin Hampel, Vladimir Perisic, Vanja Milanovic

  • Co-producers

    • Rémi Bonhomme, Imane Fares, Alsamoual Hussein, Thanassis Karathanos, Martin Hampel, Vladimir Perisic, Vanja Milanovic, Rémi Bonhomme

  • Director of photography

    • Bassem Fayad

  • Editor

    • Isabelle Manquillet, Nelly Quettier

  • Music

    • ROB

  • Location Sound Recordists

    • Thomas van Pottelberge, Jakov Munidaba, Simon Apostolou

  • VFX

    • Mel Massadian
Festivals
  • Cannes (Cannes‘ Directors‘ Fortnight) – world premiere
  • Melbourne Int. Festival of Independent Film
  • International Independent FF New York
  • IndieLisboa Int. Independent FF
  • Fameck Arab FF
  • IFF Bergen
  • European FF Sevilla
  • FILMeX Tokyo
  • IFF São Paulo
  • IFF Cairo
  • Thessaloniki FF
  • Oslo Films from the South Festival
  • IFF Singapore
  • Luxembourg City Film Festival (LuxFilmFest)
  • Qumra
  • Geneva IFF and Human Rights Forum
  • IFF Hongkong
Awards
  • Silver Pyramid for Best Actor (Maher El Khair) / Cairo IFF
  • Best Artistic Achievement (International Competition) Ali Cherri / Thessaloniki FF
  • Winner – Special Mention (Competition) Ali Cherri / Tokyo FILMeX
  • Winner – TVCine Channels Special Award / InbdieLisboa Int. Independent FF

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