HARKA
Genre
Drama
Running time
90 minutes
Year
2021
Language
Arabic
Subtitle
English
Country
Tunisia, France and Saudi Arabia
Director
Lotfy Nathan
Bio
Producer
Julie Viez, Alex Hugues, Riccardo Maddalosso, Eugene Kotlyarenko, Lotfy Nathan, Tariq Merhab, Nicole Romano, Maurice Fadida
Cast
Adam Bessa, Salima Maatoug, Najib Allagui, Ikbal Harbi
Scriptwriter
Lotfy Nathan
Harka is an impassioned plea for social justice set in Sidi Bouzid, the Tunisian city where the self-immolation of street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi in 2010 triggered the Jasmine Revolution. The thriller contains a powerhouse performance from French-Tunisian actor Adam Bessa as Ali, an impoverished street-seller whose predicament is inspired by Bouazizi's story. Ali sells black market gasoline, risking his life every time he heads into the desert to buy supplies, but he's obliged to turn over most of his earnings in extortion payments to the police. Burdened by debts since his father's death and now responsible for his two younger sisters, he has to beg his brother – who has escaped the family to work as a waiter at a tourist hotel – for support. Director Lotfy Nathan's fictional debut was a stand-out in this year's Cannes Film Festival's Certain Regard section, where Bessa won the award for best performance.
This film is supported by the Red Sea Fund.
Other movies
IRKALLA: GILGAMESH'S DREAM
Director: Mohamed Jabarah Al-Daradji
Nine-year-old dreamer Chum-Chum and Moody, a tough 13-year-old, navigate the harsh streets of Baghdad. Moody is obsessed with escaping to the Netherlands with Chum-Chum and his sister, Sara. Things changes when they meet Maryam, a fiery woman who has converted an old double-decker bus into a mobile school for street kids. After Maryam shows Chum-Chum an animation about the mythical hero Gilgamesh’s journey to the underworld, a new obsession takes hold. But Chum-Chum’s dream collides with a dark secret: Moody’s alliance with a ruthless militia leader and his plot to bomb protestors. Chum-Chum must now confront a brutal reality. Can one child's mythical quest save his friend, or will Moody’s dark path consume them both?
ALL THAT'S LEFT OF YOU
Director: Cherien Dabis
This compelling family drama traces three generations of Palestinians from 1948-2022, revealing the profound impacts of the Nakba. The story begins in 1988 with Noor, a man who joins a protest that turns violent in the West Bank. Decades later his mother, Hanan, recounts her son’s story, starting with the 1948 expulsion of his grandfather from Jaffa. Amid the hardship, the family holds on to the hope of returning to their ancestral home. A love story between Hanan and her husband Salim serves as a beacon of light. Through intimate, moving performances, this film explores how trauma and heritage shape the bonds between a grandfather, a father and son, while filled with moments of joy, love and humor.
LATE SHIFT
Director: Petra Volpe
Petra Volpe’s salute to caregivers is executed with strength and admiration. Led by a nuanced and meticulous performance from Leonie Benesch, Late Shift is an eloquent plea for compassion, as well as being a gripping story about a day in the life of a hospital worker. Floria (Benesch) is a nurse on an understaffed surgical ward, where she balances the constant demands of her patients — medical and emotional — knowing that every decision she makes (or neglects) could have fatal consequences. Floria, and Volpe’s camera, are constantly on the move to beeping monitors and crash carts in the ward’s confined quarters. As Switzerland’s Oscar submission, Late Shift delivers high drama and a sharp question: who will care for the carers?