We are inside by Farah Kassem will have its premiere at Visions du Réel
EWA Network is delighted to see that much anticipated film by Farah Kassem will have its international premiere in Visions du Réel on 18th of April.
We fell in love with that project years ago and EWA Network awarded the project with its Development Award in Dok Leipzig.
We congratulate the director Farah Kassem and producers Cynthia Choucair (road2films) and Patricia Drati (www.goodcompanypictures.com).
Synopsis
After a fifteen-year absence, Farah returns to Lebanon to live with her ageing father. There, the two try to find a common language that will allow them to have one last conversation. Ultimately, that language will turn out to be the only one he understands: poetry. As the sounds of revolution echo outside, Farah Kassem creates a deeply moving work, an intimate yet open portrait of her country in crisis.
We Are Inside (Nahnou Fil Dakhil)
Directed by Farah Kassem
Lebanon, Qatar, Denmark | 2024 | 177 min
World premiere
Language : Arabic
Subtitles : English, French
Director's words of acknowledgement
Seven years have passed since the moment I started making, “We Are Inside” and in a month from now it will have its world premiere at Visions du Réel, part of the International Feature Film Competition.
There’s so much joy and gratitude in finally bringing this film to the outside at VdR… this joy is nevertheless tainted with the pain of all that has been happening in the last seven years, especially in these last months. I witnessed, among many others, a sense of deterioration and destruction, that will be very difficult to come back from. We’ve witnessed a revolution, the 4th of August Beirut explosion, the on-going m@ssacres in Ghazé and the attacks on Lebanon.
This film is dedicated to all of those who thrive on the quest for encountering whatever poetry is left in this world…To those who renounce their unbearable realities by embellishing their everyday with aesthetics, even if fleeting. And as I write this, I take a moment to mourn the souls of those who were sent forcefully to their death. We remain to witness their violent departure and try to make sense of the ruins of this world.
Updated in 2025: Awards and selections
Visions du Réel International Competition 2024 (Switzerland) - Special Mention
Golden Apricot International Film Festival 2024 (Armenia) - Golden Apricot for Best Regional Film
El Gouna Film Festival 2024 (Egypt) - Golden Star for Best Feature Documentary
El Gouna Film Festival 2024 (Egypt) - NETPAC Award for Best Asian Feature Film
Kasseler Dokfest 2024 (Germany) - Honorary Mention
Entrevue Belfort 2024 (France) - Audience Award
Entrevue Belfort 2024 (France) - Tënk / Documentaire Sur Grand Écran Award
Mar del Plata 2024 (Argentina) - Astor Piazzolla Award for Best Film
Laceno d’Oro 2024 (Italy) - Audience Award “Franca Troisi”
Beirut International Women Film Festival - Best International Feature Documentary
Atlanta Film Festival 2025 (United States) - Best Documentary Feature
Jean Rouch International Film Festival 2025 (France) - Grand Prix Nanook
Jean Rouch International Film Festival 2025 (France) - Special Mention Monde en Regards
Berlin Kiez Film Festival 2025 (Germany) - Honorable Mention
Stockholm City Film Festival,2025 (Sweden) - Best Feature Documentary FIlm
FIDADOC June 2025 (Morocco) - Grand Prix Nouzha Drissi
IDFA 2024 (The Netherlands) - Best of Fest
RIDM 2024 (Canada) - Panorama
Beursschouwburg 2024 (Belgium) - Closing event
Écrans du réel 2025 (Lebanon) - Closing film
Antenna Documentary Film Festival 2025 (Australia) - International Competition
DocPoint Tallinn 2025 (Estonia) - Main Selection
Doc & Doc: Documentaire Grand Ecran 2025 (France)
Best of Doc: Documentaire Grand Ecran 2025 (France) - Films Inédits
Zagreb Dox 2025 (Croatia), State of Affairs program
Internationales Frauen* Film Fest Dortmund 2025 (Germany) - Panorama
One World Romania International Human Rights & Documentary Film Festival (OWR) 2025 (Romania) - Dialogues Section
EMAF 2025 (Germany) - Feature Film Section
ALFILM – Arab Film Festival Berlin 2025 (Germany) - Feature Documentary Section
Gabes Cinema Fen 2025 (Tunis) - CINÉMA VISIONS
Ethnocineca 2025 (Austria) - International Competition
Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) 2025 (China) - Panorama