The Desert Fish
Fall Grant 2012 - Production Stage
Alaa Eddine Aljem / Short Narrative / Morocco, France, Belgium, Qatar / 2013 / 18 min / Colour / Original Language: Arabic / Interests: Social Issues, Family
Synopsis
The southern desert of Morocco. The son wants to become a fisherman and is always dreaming of the sea. The father is a gravedigger who cannot understand his son’s desire to leave their land. The boy’s mother, who is ill, wants to see her family happy together. A story about a father and son who must be separated if they are to meet up again.
Credits
- Director
- Alaa Eddine Aljem
- Screenwriter
- Alaa Eddine Aljem
- Producer
- Francesca Duca
About the Director
Alaa Eddine Aljem is a Moroccan screenwriter and director born in Rabat. He studied cinema at ESAVM and then at INSAS in Brussels. His latest short film, ‘The Desert Fishes’ won the Grand Prize, the Critics’ Prize, and the Screenplay Prize at the National Film Festival. In 2019, Alaa released his critically acclaimed first feature film, ‘The Unknown Saint, ' a burlesque fable that had its world premiere at Cannes Critics’ Week. The film was distributed in twenty countries and preselected for the Oscars in the category of Best Foreign Film. Alaa is currently working on his second feature, ‘Eldorado, the Taste of the South’.
Awards and Festival History
Festivals
Premiered at National Film Festival in Tangier 2015 (Morocco)
AwardsWon Best Screenplay at the Critics Award and the Grand Prize at the National Film Festival in Tangier 2015 (Morocco)