Die Welt (Die Welt)
Arab Feature Film Competition
Karim Alexander Pitstra / Feature Narrative / Tunisia, Netherlands, Qatar / 2012 / 80 min / Colour / HDCAM
In Arabic, Dutch, English / Arabic, English subtitles
Interests: Drama, Politics, Social Issues, Immigration, Docufiction
World Premiere
Synopsis
For 23-year-old Abdallah and many of his fellow Tunisians, Europe represents a land where freedom and riches are easily obtained – and it seems closer than ever since the Jasmine Revolution. In Tunis, where he lives with his family, Abdallah sees no promise of the comfortable future he imagines for himself. He longs to quit his low-paying job and emigrate to across the Mediterranean. When by chance he meets a vacationing Dutch woman in a nightclub in Sousse, his yearned-for escape begins to seem accessible. In his semi-autobiographical first feature film, director Karim Alexander Pitstra – himself the son of a Tunisian immigrant to the Netherlands – effectively melds a compelling story with the raw feel of documentary. The result is a gentle, realistic social drama about the existential yearnings of a young, optimistic man and an exploration of the hopes and dreams of the people of North Africa.
About the Directors
Alex Pitstra was born in Dordrecht, The Netherlands, in 1979, to a Tunisian father and a Dutch mother. He made his first film at 15, but worked in music production before setting up his own production company to make commercials, installations and corporate films. He has also worked as a director of photography. ‘Die Welt’ is his first feature.
Credits
- Director
- Karim Alexander Pitstra
- Screenwriter
- Alex Pitstra, Thijs Gloger, Abdallah Rezgui
- Producer
- Alex Pitstra, Rene Houwen, Rosan Breman
- Editor
- Alex Pitstra, Thijs Gloger, René Duursma
- Music
- Renger Koning
- Cinematographer
- Thijs Gloger
- Other
- Associate producer : David Inden, Remy Anedda
- Cast
- Abdelhamid Nawara, Mohsen Ben Hassen, Ilse Heus, Judith van der Meulen, Kamel Ben Khalfa, Rahma Ben Hassen