Fatima
Ajyal Competition
Philippe Faucon / Feature Narrative / France / 2015 / 79 min / Colour / DCP2K
In Arabic, English / Arabic, English subtitles
Interests: Drama
Qatar Premiere
Synopsis
Fatima is an Algerian immigrant to France; she followed her ex-husband there before the couple were divorced. Now, she spends all her time and energy caring for her daughters – 18-year-old Nisrine, who has just entered her first year of medical school and moved out of her childhood home, and 15-year-old Souad, who is lippy, disobedient and getting in trouble at school.
As she speaks little French and is only able to read and write her native Arabic, Fatima is looked down upon by French society and is only able to get work as a cleaner. Despite the poor treatment she receives at the hands of her employers, she works extremely hard, providing for her family and even going the extra mile to pay for Nisrine’s medical school.
Eventually, however, disrespect and being taken for granted take their toll on Fatima, who finds her dignity and speaks out – and in doing so, speaks for all the Fatimas of the world: all the many women whose love and support are the foundation for the success of others. ‘Fatima’ had its world premiere at the Festival de Cannes and went on to win three César Awards this year, among them Best Film.
About the Directors
Philippe Faucon was born in Oujda, Morocco, and studied at Aix-en-Provence University. As a writer-director, he has made 11 titles. In 2004, he and his wife Yasmina Nina-Faucon founded Istiqlal Films. Together, they have produced or co-produced several feature-length films, which have been selected for many international film festivals. His ‘L’Amour’ (1990) won the Perspectives of French Cinema Award at the Festival de Cannes, while ‘Samia’ (2000) won the Prize of the City of Amiens at the Amiens International Film Festival. ‘Fatima’ won numerous prizes, among them three Césars.
Credits
- Director
- Philippe Faucon
- Screenwriter
- Philippe Faucon
- Producer
- Philippe Faucon, Yasmina Faucon, Serge Noel
- Editor
- Sophie Mandonnet
- Music
- Robert-Marcel Lepage
- Cinematographer
- Laurent Fenart
- Sales Company
- Pyramide Distribution
- Production Company
- Istiqlal Films
- Sound
- Thierry Morlaas-Lurbe
- Distributor
- MC Distribution
- Cast
- Soria Zeroual, Zita Hanrot, Kenza-Noah Aiche, Chawki Amari