27/10/2022 - The training and development programme is welcoming 16 projects from Southwest Asia and North Africa for its 2022-2023 edition

Close-Up, a tailor-made training and development programme that runs for a period of 8-months for documentary filmmakers from the Southwest Asia and North Africa, has announced the 16 projects from Southwest Asia and North Africa selected for its 2022-2023 edition.

The selected filmmakers hail from as diverse backgrounds as Afghanistan, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine/Jordan, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey.

This year’s edition received more than 140 applications from all across the region. The urgency and necessity to support independent filmmakers from the region couldn't be more emphasised these days. “Close Up partners and team are committed to continue maintaining the safe space it has created and providing the crucial support to help bring these urgent films to the big screen”, commented Sigal Yehuda, Close-Up founder and executive director.

The first workshop is scheduled for 9-16 December 2022. The second workshop will be in March 2023 and the final workshop and pitching forum will be in early June 2023.

The 16 selected projects are:

Between Worlds - Abdul Ghafar Faizyar (Afghanistan)
The story of a family from Afghanistan who is torn apart by the European bureaucracy.

Bitter Sugar - Ana Barjadze (Georgia)
The day-to-day life of three brothers who are navigating life by only relying on each other, while their absent mother provides for the family from abroad.

Chasing the Crisis - Parviz Majidov (Azerbaijan)
An insight into the personal journey of the filmmaker and the effects of the war on the youth in Azerbaijan and the growing anti-war resistance movement in Baku.

Damascus Is Breathing - Omar Malas (Syria)
An exploration of a Syrian civil initiative during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Damascus and how the pandemic impacts Syrians after years of war.

Depot-Vente - Cherine Karam (Lebanon)
The story of Nawal, the mother-figure behind Depot-Vente, a vintage shop in Beirut raising spirits in a city that is struggling for its future.

Flying Cows - Vahagn Khachatryan and Aren Malakyan (Armenia)
A look at the deportations that both people and animals have to endure in the region of Karvachar and asks questions on borders and forced displacement.

Heart Don't Be Afraid - Ana Kvichidze (Georgia)
A trip to a small town in Georgia by following the 84-year-old spell caster Vardo and 19-year-old Dachi, who desires to escape the reality and live in this world of magic as a queer boy.

Homemade Mulberry Vodka - Anzhela Frangyan (Armenia)
A project in which the filmmaker and a soldier set off on a road trip to search for a mulberry-infused taste of life.

I Look Like My Mother - Amina Maher (Iran)
The personal story of Amina Maher, a trans woman director, who retraces the trauma buried within her relationship with her mother and her role in Abbas Kiarostami’s renowned film Ten.

Our Seeds - Erhan Arik (Turkey)
The story of a family of farmers who live from the wheat seed they inherited from their ancestors. The film explores the challenging relationship between the older and younger generations and asks questions about the hearth, land, family and roots.

Red Ink - Redha Menassel (Algeria)
The fabulous story of El Manchar (The Saw), the first satirical newspaper of the Arab world in 1990s Algiers.

Trash Cemetery - Firas Rebiai (Tunisia)
An in-depth look into the El Attar, once a heavenly small town on the outskirts of Tunis city, which turned into a living hell after the opening of Tunisia’s biggest landfill on its doorsteps.

Why I Left - Fayssal Zaoui (Morocco)
An alternative narrative on migration by revealing the story of a Cameroonian artist who finds the answer to his dreams in Morocco.

Women Of My Life - Zahraa Ghandour (Iraq)
The story of Zahraa, a filmmaker from Baghdad whose search for her missing childhood friend unfolds secret worlds of abuse and violence against women across Iraq.

Yalla Parkour - Areeb Zuaiter (Jordan/Palestine)
The story of Ahmad and his passion for the sport of freedom that drives him to break through the borders of his besieged city of Gaza.

Yung Yiddish - Noa Ben-Shalom (Israel)
A look at the life and work of Mendy Cahan who strives endlessly to salvage Yiddish books that are facing extinction at the Tel Aviv Central Station.

Find more information on the projects here.