Synopsis
The animals’ brown, beige, white and black coats blend into the ochre earth and sunbaked walls. After the calm of rest hour, a deafening cacophony breaks out at feeding time, as the dogs bark excitedly. In a stray-dog refuge in Agadir, Morocco, more than 750 animals find help and protection while awaiting adoption. Each day is the same as the last, the only excitement provided by mealtime. Empathetic and alert to subtleties of light and texture, Halima Ouardiri observes the rhythm of the animals’ lives, their suspended existence paralleling the far more tragic waiting endured by millions of human beings in search of a new home.
Festivals
AWARDS
The Crystal Bear
Berlinale, Germany, 2020.
Generation 14+ Special Award for Best Short Film
Berlinale, Germany, 2020.
Best Canadian Short Film
Acadia International Francophone Film Festival, Canada, 2019.
Coup de Coeur du Jury International
Namur International Francophone Film Festival, France, 2020.
Marion Hansel Prize
Namur International Francophone Film Festival, France, 2020.
Best documentary short
Rendez-vous Quebec Cinema, Canada, 2020.
Student Favourite Award
Cinema sous les étoiles, Canada, 2020.
“Parce Que Films” Prize and “Filmoption International & Studio Saint-Antoine” Prize
Gala Prends Ça Court, Canada, 2020.
Standout Short Film Director
Reelworld Film Festival, Canada, 2020.
Jury Prize
Tous Courts Festival, France, 2020.
Best Canadian Short Film
Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival, 2020.
Short Film Prize
Agadir International Documentary Film Festival - FIPADOC, 2020.
SELECTIONS
Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM), Montreal, Canada, 2019.
FICFA - International Festival of Francophone Cinema in Acadia, Moncton, Canada, 2019.
Berlin International Film Festival (Generation 14Plus section), Berlin, Germany, 2020.
Rendez-vous Quebec Cinema, Montreal, Canada, 2020.
A look at the short film, Chicoutimi, Canada, 2020.
Rimouski International Film Carousel, Rimouski, Canada, 2020.
Reel 2 Real International Film Festival for Youth, Vancouver, Canada, 2020.
Vues sur mer, Gaspé, Canada, 2020.
Doxa Documentary Festival, Canada, 2020.
Gimli Film Festival, Winnipeg, Canada, 2020.
Les Percéides, Canada, 2020.
Hong Kong International Film Festival, China, 2020.
The États Générales du Film Documentary, France, 2020.
Young Film Fest, Czech Republic, 2020.
Sao Paulo International Film Festival, Brazil, 2020.
Off -Courts Trouville, France 2020
Courts d'un soir, Canada, 2020.
Cinéma sous les étoiles, Canada, 2020
Cinematik International Film Festival, Slovakia, 2020.
Conofest International (short) Film Festival, 2020.
Namur International Francophone Film Festival, Belgium, 2020.
Pacific Meridian, Russia, 2020.
Reelword Film Festival, Canada, 2020.
Imagine Science, USA, 2020.
Kaohsiung Film Festival, Taiwan, 2020.
Bi'bak Film Festival, Germany, 2020.
Hamilton Film Festival, Canada, 2020.
Bosphorus International Film Festival, Turkey, 2020.
Filem'On - International Film Festival for Young Audiences, Belgium, 2020.
Abitibi-Témiscamingue International Film Festival, Canada, 2020.
Message to Man, Russia, 2020.
Images en vues, Canada, 2020.
IDFA - International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2020.
Short Film Festival - Aix en Provence, France, 2020.
Longues vues sur le court, Canada, 2020.
Pravo Ljudski, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2020.
Vienna - Vienna International Film Festival, Austria, 2020.
Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival, Canada, 2020.
Bogotá Shorts, Colombia, 2020.
Exile Room, Greece, 2020.
FIDADOC - Agadir International Documentary Festival, Morocco, 2020.
Minimalen Short Film Festival, Norway, 2020.
Pleins Écrans, Festival on Facebook, 2021.
Un poing c'est court, France, 2021.
My French Film Festival, France, 2021.
International meetings Paris/Berlin, France, 2021.
Miradasdoc Film Festival, Spain, 2021.
Portland International Film Festival, USA, 2021.
Glasgow Short Film Festival, UK, 2021.
Panorama of Cinemas in the Maghreb and the Middle East, France, 2021.
Quebec Film Days in Italy, 2021.
Reel 2 Real International Film Festival for Youth, Vancouver, Canada, 2021.
Toronto Arab Film Festival, Canada, 2021.
Vienna Shorts Film Festival, Austria, 2021.
Available on the web: Criterion Channel; TENK France; TENK Quebec
Director: Halima Ouardiri
Production: Halima Ouardiri
DOP: Anna Cooley
Sound: Bruno Pucella
Editing: Xi Feng
Version
Original: Arabic
Subtitles: English, French
Format
1.86/5.1
DCP, Pro Res
Halima is a Canadian filmmaker who works between Canada, Morocco and France. She received a B.F.A. in Film Production from the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema in Montreal. Her first film, “Mokhtar”, shot in Super16mm, was very well received at a hundred international festivals such as Toronto, Berlin, Rotterdam and Dubai, before being broadcast on France 3, CBC and TSR. The film won numerous awards, including two Best Director Awards and five Best Film Awards. Shot in a small village in southern Morocco, the movie stars villagers, lots of goats and an owl. Of all the performers, only the owl is a professional actor. Today, Halima is moving on with “La Camel Driving School”, a scenario developed as part of Groupe Ouest's 2017 Annual Selection and produced by IndieProd in Paris. Her latest film “Clebs” had its premiere at the Berlinale and won two awards: the Crystal Bear and the Generation 14Plus Special Prize for the best short film.
