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Film 03 · Short
2023 · 16 min · Arabic
Birthday Gift
A mother in Aleppo records a video message for her son in Europe, and edits it sixty-three times before she sends it.
Synopsis
The film is composed almost entirely of takes she discarded. The version that arrives lasts twenty-eight seconds. What we watch is everything that did not.
An essay film on distance, language, and the small grammars of love that survive a border.
Stills
Credits
- Written & Directed by
- Mohamed Qahees
- Cinematography
- Mohamed Qahees
- Editor
- Anouk Janssen
Festivals & Selections
- 2023Visions du RéelBurning Lights CompetitionNyon
- 2023DOK LeipzigLeipzig
- 2023IDFABest Dutch Short, NomineeAmsterdam
- 2023Nederlands Film FestivalGouden Kalf, Best Short DocumentaryUtrecht
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