Director Yaser Kassab, who lives in Sweden, followed in his father’s footsteps by emigrating from Syria to Europe. Like his father before him, he had ambitions to become a filmmaker. Now they are working together on a film remotely. Via telephone or video call from Syria, his father gives his son advice on cinema and life. We are invited to listen in on these conversations filled with love and parental concern. While sometimes giving rise to amusing or uncomfortable scenes, they paint a heartbreaking portrait of an absent father – a man who cannot be with his son, like so many Syrians separated from their children. Two solitary lives trying to connect.
Yaser Kassab, who holds a master’s degree in cinema from the University of Gothenburg, is a Syrian film director and producer living in Sweden. His work focuses on personal narratives. His documentary trilogy, which offers a lyrical perspective on the Syrian tragedy, has been presented at major film festivals, including the Venice Biennale, the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) Cinéma du Réel and Visions du Réel, winning, among other awards, the IDFA Award for Best First Appearance and the Cinéma du Réel’s Joris Ivens Award.
The screening will be followed by a conversation with the director Yaser Kassab and the producer Rima Alhamedd.
Trailer: click here
Directed by: Yasser Kassab
Photography: Rima Alhamedd, Yaser Kassab
Production: Zenloop Production
Language: Arab, subtitles in French
Runtime: 64 minutes
Release Date: 2023
Countries: Sweden, Syria, Qatar
Useful Information
- At the Grand Action cinema: 5 rue des Écoles, 75005 Paris
- Ticket office opening soon