The Night tells a personal story about the history of Syria, up to the moment the neighbouring country of Israel was founded.
The grave of a man - a member of the Palestinian resistance - lies in El Quneitra, a Syrian town on the Golan Heights - a town that was destroyed by the Israelis in 1967. The man's son Mohamad Malas tries to piece together his father's past, helped by the scattered memories of his mother. The images in the film that illustrate the father's story are stylised and deliberately overly beautiful. For Malas, this is a way to banish the shame and humiliation that adhere to the image of his father and the town, occupied by the Israelis.
An exceptional look back at another period of struggle and bloody resistance in Syria. The director Malas is seen as the first film auteur in his country, and is still active as a filmmaker in Syria, in spite of the current civil war.
Director
Mohamad Malas
Country of production
Syria
Year
1992
Festival Edition
IFFR 2014
Length
125'
Medium
Betacam Digi
International title
The Night
Language
Arabic
Producer
Omar Amiralay
Sales
Mohamad Malas
Screenplay
Mohamad Malas, Usama Muhammed
Cinematography
Youssef Ben Youssef
Editor
Kais Al Zubaidi
Sound Design
Thierry Sabatier
Cast
Sabah Jazairi, Omar Malas
Director
Mohamad Malas
Country of production
Syria
Year
1992
Festival Edition
IFFR 2014
Length
125'
Medium
Betacam Digi
International title
The Night
Language
Arabic
Producer
Omar Amiralay
Sales
Mohamad Malas
Screenplay
Mohamad Malas, Usama Muhammed
Cinematography
Youssef Ben Youssef
Editor
Kais Al Zubaidi
Sound Design
Thierry Sabatier
Cast
Sabah Jazairi, Omar Malas