EXCLUSIVE: Paris-based Loco Films has secured sales rights to refugee drama Chronicles From The Siege ahead of its world premiere at the Berlinale.
Written and directed by Palestinian Syrian filmmaker Abdallah Alkhatib, the feature will debut in the competitive Perspectives section of the festival on Sunday (February 15).
The story centres on a group of ordinary people whose lives are turned upside down when their refugee camp is placed under siege. Five friends assemble at an abandoned video store, whose owner has struggled amid hunger and isolation, where their relationships are put to the test.
The cast is led by Nadeem Rimawi, Saja Kilani, Ahmad Kontar, Samer Bisharat and Ahmed Zitouni. Kilani’s credits include Venice grand jury prize winner and Oscar nominee The Voice Of Hind Rajab.
Inspired by the director’s experiences during the siege of Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria, the film is intended to reflect the broader Palestinian experience of the past 70 years.
It is initiated and produced by Salah Issaad of Algeria’s Issaad Film Productions, Taqiyeddine Issaad of France’s Evidence Film and co-produced by Sofiane Zermani of France’s 2 Princes Films.
Loco Films’ Laurent Daniélou described the feature as “a hard-hitting film that immerses the viewer in life under siege and constant threat, where fear never fades and survival never stops”.
It marks the fiction feature debut of Alkhatib, whose 2021 documentary Little Palestine: Diary Of A Siege was selected for Visions du Réel and the Acid programme at Cannes before going on to play more than 20 international film festivals such as IDFA, Vancouver and BFI London Film Festival.
The Damascus-born director is based in Germany and said Chronicles From The Siege continues the story that began with his documentary. “That first film could not contain all the stories lived through years of war,” said Alkhatib.
“Faced with this limitation, the project initially felt futile. But recent images of the siege of Gaza revived the memories of Yarmouk and reignited the urgency to continue telling the story. Chronicles from the Siege was born from this necessity: to carry the narrative forward, to transmit not only what the eyes have seen, but what the heart cannot remain silent about.”
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