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The Village Next to Paradise

Mo Haware
DISTRIBUTION
Wed 14 May 25 - Sun 29 Jun 25
  • kijkwijzerPrefix kijkwijzer14
  • kijkwijzerPrefix Drug and/or alcohol abuse

A father and his son live in a paradisiacal village on a pearly white beach, but nothing is as it seems. The war on terror disrupts the idyll, creating an incessant threat. And so, they are trapped, between dream and drone.

The Village Next to Paradise is set in a remote Somali village by the Indian Ocean. Marmargade, a single father, works as a grave digger amid the constant threat of drone strikes from the "war on terror." These attacks bring more victims to bury, but when the strikes subside, his income vanishes. Desperate, he takes on a risky smuggling job, jeopardizing his relationship with his son Cigaal and his newly separated sister Araweelo.

The film portrays a family caught between hope and despair, with Marmargade dreaming of a better future while grappling with moral dilemmas in their harsh reality.

The Village Next to Paradise is the first Somali film ever screened at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. Through stunning visuals and a poetic approach, director Mo Haware delivers a poignant portrait of a family struggling to survive amidst constant danger.

The Village Next to Paradise
direction
Mo Haware
cast
Ahmed Ali Farah, Anab Ahmed Ibrahim, Ahmed Mohamud Saleban
duration
132 min
release date
Wed 14 May 25
year
2024
country
Somalia
language
Somali
Subtitles
French, Dutch
  • kijkwijzerPrefix kijkwijzer14
  • kijkwijzerPrefix Drug and/or alcohol abuse
part of

A quietly powerful film. [...] A simple narrative derives its strength from well-conceived characters.

Variety

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