A few days ago, the Berlin International Film Festival unveiled the main competition line-up for its 75th edition, set to run from 13-23 February (see the news). Among the contenders is Yunan [+lire aussi :
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fiche film], the highly anticipated sophomore feature by Syrian filmmaker Ameer Fakher Eldin, which will have its world premiere at the event. Notably, Yunan is the only Arab film featured in the Berlinale’s main competition this year.

Yunan follows Munir, a displaced Arab author who retreats to a remote German island with the intention of ending his life. In this isolated sanctuary, his encounter with Valeska, an elderly woman exuding quiet compassion, sparks an unexpected journey of healing and rekindles his will to live. The film stars renowned Lebanese actor Georges Khabbaz – a co-writer of the story of Capernaum [+lire aussi :
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interview : Suzy Bemba
Q&A : Yorgos Lanthimos
fiche film], as Valeska. The supporting cast includes Palestinian actor Ali Suleiman (200 Meters [+lire aussi :
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interview : Ameen Nayfeh
fiche film]), Lebanese actress Nidal El Ashkar, and Game of Thrones alumni Sibel Kekilli and Thomas Wlaschiha, alongside German thesp Laura Sophia Landauer.

Written, directed and edited by Ameer Fakher Eldin, Yunan delves deep into themes of displacement, identity and human connection as part of the filmmaker’s “Homeland” trilogy. Born in Kyiv to Syrian parents from the occupied Golan Heights, Fakher Eldin thus continues his exploration of renewal and belonging. The trilogy began with The Stranger [+lire aussi :
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interview : Ameer Fakher Eldin
fiche film], which premiered at the Venice International Film Festival, won the Edipo Re Award and became Palestine’s official submission for the Academy Awards. The concluding chapter, Nostalgia: A Tale in Its First Chapters, is currently in development as a joint production involving Syria, Palestine, Germany and Italy.

The film features a stellar creative team, including composer Suad Bushnaq (Hanging Gardens [+lire aussi :
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interview : Ahmed Yassin Al Daradji
fiche film]), cinematographer Ronald Plante (The Braid [+lire aussi :
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interview : Nora Fingscheidt
fiche film]) and sound designer Kuen-Il Song (Parasite). Executive producers Paola Corvino, Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab – the founders of MAD Solutions – are also managing its distribution across the Arab world.

The production is backed by Dorothe Beinemeier, of Germany’s Red Balloon Film; Catherine Chagnon, of Canada’s Microclimat Films; Marco Valerio Fusco and Micaela Fusco, of Italy’s Intramovies; and Jiries Copti and Tony Copti, of Palestine’s Fresco Films. Additional co-production partners include Metafora Production (Qatar) and Tabi360 (Jordan). The project has received funding from the Red Sea Fund and the Red Sea Souk, the Jordanian Royal Film Commission, MOIN Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, Eurimages, Telefilm Canada and SODEC. Italian company Intramovies is handling its world sales.