School Of Hope
Fall Grants 2019 - Post-Production Stage
Mohamed El Aboudi / Feature Documentary / Morocco, Finland, France, United States of America, Qatar / 90 min / Original Language: Arabic / Interests: Environmental, Politics, Social Issues, Youth, Identity, Creative Documentary
Synopsis
Climate change and overgrazing have brought poverty to the old nomad tribes of the High Plateau of Atlas in Morocco and forced them to partial settlement. Now faced with the necessity to settle down, they feel more lost than when wandering with their cattle in the endless desert. They need wells, electricity, health care and schools, but the Government is not interested in their troubles. When the Dehbi tribe couldn’t get a state school to their area, they decided to build it themselves, and through an association managed to get a teacher to come there. Living in the middle of nowhere is not easy when you are used to the comforts of urban life. It might seem that there is not much hope for the children of the ‘School of Hope’ and their teacher, but they are determined not to give up fighting.
Credits
- Director
- Mohamed El Aboudi
- Screenwriter
- Mohamed El Aboudi
- Producer
- Pertti Veijalainen (Illume Oy), Hind Saih (Bellota Films), Lamia Chraibi ( LaProd)
About the Director
Mohamed El Aboudi was born and brought up in Morocco. He graduated from the University of Fes, Morocco with a BA in Theatre in 1991 and with an MA in Film & Television at Bond University, Australia in 1997. In his work, Mohamed has been interested in strong human stories. He has made documentaries about asylum seekers, mothers of immigrants, artists, and a girl with Down Syndrome. His latest films explore the theme of becoming an outsider in your own society. Mohamed’s documentaries have been shown at various film festivals all over the world.