FADA Film Screens Syrian Bride
A film by Eran Riklis.
Written by Suha Arraf & Eran Riklis.
Date: 5
November 2015
Time: 18:00 for 18:30.
Venue: FADA Amphitheatre, Bunting Road
Campus.
Monas wedding day
is the saddest day of her life. She knows that once she crosses the border
between Israel and Syria to marry Syrian TV star Tallel, she will never be
allowed back to her beloved family in Majdal Shams, the largest Druze village
in the Golan Heights, occupied by Israel since 1967. The Syrian Bride is a
story about physical, mental and emotional borders and the will to cross them.
A story about a family trying to cope with its ability to define boundaries and
deal with them - focusing on Monas sister Amal, a modern woman trapped in a
tradition and culture she wants to break out of. Cited
Mongrel [O]. Available, accessed November 1, 2015.
"An elegant piece of cinema that is beautifully acted..."
Bruce Kirkland, TORONTO SUN
"A sharp and complicated drama that also works as a provocative and
level-headed social commentary."
Adam Nayman, EYE MAGAZINE
"An engaging, moving tale that transcends its time and place. A
potent cinematic mixlends a deep humanity to a part of the world in dire need
of greater understanding."
John Treads, TORONTO STAR
Original Languages: Arabic, English, Hebrew, Russian, French.
Genre: Drama / World Cinema
Running Time: 96 minutes
Year of Release: 2004.
About the Story
Mona’s wedding day
is the saddest day of her life. She knows that once she crosses the border
between Israel and Syria to marry Syrian TV star Tallel, she will never be
allowed back to her beloved family in Majdal Shams, the largest Druze village
in the Golan Heights, occupied by Israel since 1967. The Syrian Bride is a
story about physical, mental and emotional borders and the will to cross them.
A story about a family trying to cope with its ability to define boundaries and
deal with them – focusing on Mona’s sister Amal, a modern woman trapped in a
tradition and culture she wants to break out of.
Once you cross the
border there is no way back and at the end of a long day, the family, the
government and military officials and all those gathered on both sides of the
border find themselves facing an uncertain future, trapped in No-Man’s land
between Israel and Syria...
Cited
Mongrel [O]. Available, accessed November 1, 2015.
About the Film
The Syrian Bride is
based on 3 years of travelling to the Golan Heights, meeting the people,
learning the history, getting to know the political, social and personal
situation of the Druze in the Golan, taking a deeper look in to a region
haunted by hostility, indifference and bureaucracy – the Middle East. To
explore the complex story of women torn between families, tradition and
borders, Riklis joined forces with Palestinian-Israeli screenwriter Suha Arraf
who was chosen for her knowledge of the Arab (and Druze) world while
maintaining a modern, progressive point of view.European producers Bettina
Brokemper, Antoine de Clermont-Tonnerre and Michael Eckelt joined Riklis early on
to help form an Israeli-French-German co-production of the highest level,
incorporating experienced film makers who decided they have a story to tell, a
story with an added small bonus of a humble reflection on the condition of the
region and perhaps of all humanity today.
The Syrian Bride
was shot on location in the Golan Heights and in other locations in Israel. Cited Mongrel [O]. Available, accessed November 1, 2015.
Director’s Statement: Eran Riklis.
Once you cross the
border there is no way back...
Every director
hopes his film will contribute towards a bit more understanding, a bit more
compassion, a bit more tolerance or in the case of the Middle East – merely a
bit more patience...
The Syrian Bride is
an attempt to contribute modestly by creating a film out of love. Love of
freedom, love for the spirit of freedom, love for the physical and emotional
landscapes that surround us, all of us. A love for women who fight for their
place in the world, a love for people who still dream and hope – here, across
the border, everywhere. All this is told in a pessimistic or perhaps optimistic
story, certainly an “opsimistic”* one, as is appropriate to the region and to
the times in which we live in. (*opsimism = a mixture of pessimism and
optimism...a good guide to survival in the Middle East.) Cited Mongrel [O]. Available, accessed November 1, 2015.
A note from the writer: Suha Arraf
When I was
approached by the director of the film (Riklis) I understood at once his honest
desire to bring the truth. In this case it is the truth of the Druze minority,
living under occupation since 1967, the social oppression of women in the name
of religion and tradition, in fact the story of my own oppression as a
Palestinian woman living in an oppressive world, be it socially or politically
and as a Palestinian living as a minority in Israel. The cooperation between me
and an Israeli filmmaker at the script stage brings together two film makers
from different worlds and creates a new, different type of cinema. Cited Mongrel [O]. Available, accessed November 1, 2015.
Born in 1954,
Riklis has been creating films since 1975 (and loving them since much earlier).
His first feature film was “On a clear day you can see Damascus”, a political
thriller completed upon graduating from the National Film School in
Beaconsfield, England. Next was the world wide critically acclaimed “Cup
Final”, Israeli box office hit “Zohar”, nostalgic rock & roll film “Vulcan
Junction”, and now “The Syrian Bride”, his most ambitious project to date. Riklis
directed numerous successful TV films, series and drama, hundreds of
commercials and various documentaries, shorts and specials. Married to Dina,
father of Tammy and Jonathan, lives in Tel Aviv but works with the world.
Blog text courtesy Mongrel, the Canadian independent film distributor.
About Mongrel Media.
Mongrel Media is an
independent film distribution company that acquires and brings the best in
world cinema to Canadian audiences. Since it’s inception in 1994, Mongrel has
distinguished itself through a tasteful and innovative catalogue of films,
supporting visionary filmmakers and delivering their films to the widest
audience possible –in theatres, on DVD/video and on television. Mongrel
consistently selects and distributes critically celebrated films, like Abbas
Kiarostami’s Palme d’Or winner A TASTE OF CHERRY and Almodovar’s recent BAD
EDUCATION, and has built a reputation for delivering break-out successes like
the provocative documentary THE CORPORATION. Mongrel currently distributes over
two hundred titles in Canada.
