All Projects

The Desert Fish

Fall Grant 2012 - Production Stage

Alaa Eddine Aljem / Short Narrative / Morocco, France, Belgium, Qatar / 2013 / 18 min / Colour / Original Language: Arabic / Interests: Social Issues, Family

Synopsis

The southern desert of Morocco. The son wants to become a fisherman and is always dreaming of the sea. The father is a gravedigger who cannot understand his son’s desire to leave their land. The boy’s mother, who is ill, wants to see her family happy together. A story about a father and son who must be separated if they are to meet up again.

Credits

Director

Alaa Eddine Aljem

Screenwriter

Alaa Eddine Aljem

Producer

Francesca Duca

About the Director

Trained at ESAV Marrakech and INSAS in Brussels, Alaa Eddine Aljem directed several short films, among them ‘The Desert Fish’ (2015), which had great coverage in the film festival circuit and took the Critics, Screenwriting and Grand Prize at the Moroccan National Film Festival. ‘The Unknown Saint’ is Aljem’s debut feature, currently in financing. With this project, he participated in the Open Doors Lab at the Locarno Festival, where it won the ICAM award. It was also selected for La Fabrique des Cinémas du Monde in Cannes in 2016, and took part in the Sundance Screewriters Lab. In 2016, Alaa was named by ‘Screen International’ as one the Five Arab Stars of Tomorrow.

Awards and Festival History

Festivals

Premiered at National Film Festival in Tangier 2015 (Morocco)

Awards

Won Best Screenplay at the Critics Award and the Grand Prize at the National Film Festival in Tangier 2015 (Morocco)

Contacts

• Main Contact

  Alaa Eddine Aljem

  Company: 

  Le moindre geste

  Phone: 

  +212656343075

  Email: 

  Alaa.e.aljem@gmail.com

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