ROCK, PAPER, SEA
Fall Grants 2024 - Development Stage
Randa Ali / Feature Narrative / Egypt, Qatar / 120 min / Original Language: Arabic / Interests: Coming of age, Drama, Family
Synopsis
“
‘Rock, Paper, Sea’ is a coming-of-age story set by the Egyptian Mediterranean in the summer of 2001. It follows Maha, an 11-year-old girl who learns that her beloved father, who left a year ago to work in Kuwait, will not be returning to Egypt for the holidays. Although the news initially devastates her, Maha—a child with a vivid imagination and a love for mystery books—begins to believe that her father is planning a surprise for her birthday. Convinced that solving the mystery of his absence will reunite them, she embarks on an imaginative quest. Like her father, who gave up his artistic pursuits for a more lucrative job in the Gulf, Maha loves to draw and write stories. Her storytelling is unconventional, free from rigid structures, and when she narrates, the film transforms into a world of black-and-white animation.
Maha spends her summer following clues, eventually befriending a boy her age who decides to help her. Together, they explore their coastal town, piecing together a narrative that reflects Maha’s growing understanding of the world around her. Her quest leads to unpredictable discoveries about girlhood, friendship, and the complexities of adulthood. By the end of the summer, as Maha crosses the threshold into adolescence, she experiences her first crush, a deep friendship, and the heartbreak of growing up. Through these moments, she begins to grasp the bittersweet weight of change and the realities of life beyond childhood.”
Credits
- Director
- Randa Ali
- Screenwriter
- Menna Taher, Randa Ali
- Producer
- Norah El Khateeb
- Production Company
- CATS Films, Sifsafa Collective
About the Director
"Randa Ali is a filmmaker working between Egypt and the USA. In 2024, her short film ‘Mango’, an exploration of loss and grief through a daughter-father relationship, was selected for the official competitions at the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival, Uppsala Short Film Festival, Bilbao International Film Festival (ZINEBI), and Cairo International Film Festival. For her film ‘Kingdom of Strangers’ (2022), she was awarded the ARRI Franz Weiser Grant and received Jury Awards at the Toronto Arab Film Festival, Cairo International Shorts Film Festival, and Beirut Shorts. Randa is a graduate of UCLA's Directing MFA programme, where she received a full-ride scholarship for female filmmakers from the Arab world. She is currently developing her debut feature film, ‘Rock, Paper, Sea’, a coming-of-age story exploring girlhood in early 2000s Egypt.
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