Love-45
Fall Grants 2024 - Production Stage
Anas Khalaf / Feature Narrative / Syria, France, Switzerland, Qatar / 100 min / Original Language: Arabic, English, French / Interests: Drama, Romance
Synopsis
“Walid, an overweight Lebanese man, has been caught in a destructive spiral since his teenage years. Despite his brilliant and educated mind, he is lonely and deeply unhappy. In Beirut, Walid works as a handyman at his uncle’s exclusive tennis club. Their relationship is strained, with regular clashes stemming from Walid’s perpetually grumpy demeanour, which alienates the club’s bourgeois clientele. When Maya, a French humanitarian worker, arrives at the club seeking help, she presents an unexpected opportunity. Maya wants to build a tennis court at a Syrian refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, where she works, to help children cope with their war trauma through sport.
Walid’s uncle seizes this chance to send him away from the disapproving looks of the club’s patrons. Reluctantly, Walid has no choice but to take on the task and set out for the camp. As Walid’s trips between Beirut and the Bekaa intensify, he experiences encounters that challenge and inspire him to grow. A compassionate psychologist, an unexpected budding romance with Maya, and a bond with Laith, a young Syrian refugee deeply affected by the war, all push Walid to confront his own long-buried trauma. Slowly, he begins to reconnect with himself, finding purpose and healing through these transformative relationships.”
Credits
- Director
- Anas Khalaf
- Screenwriter
- Anas Khalaf, Rana Kazkaz
- Producer
- Marine Vaillant, Sébastien Onomo
- Production Company
- Special Touch Studios (France), Tipimages (Switzerland)
About the Director
Anas Khalaf is a Franco-Syrian filmmaker currently residing in Doha, having fled Syria with his family in 2012 following the onset of the war in his home country. He graduated from the Normandy Business School. In 2010, he co-founded the production company Synéastes Films with his wife, Rana Kazkaz. Together, they have collaborated on four short films and one feature film.
Contacts
-
Main Contact
Marine Vaillant
- Company:
- Special Touch Studios
- Email:
- mvaillant@specialtouchstudios.com