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HEAD at Visions du Réel 2024

Image from Mawtini de Tabarak Abbas

The Bachelor diploma film Mawtini by Tabarak Abbas will celebrate its world premiere at Visions du Réel, in the Opening Scenes section. A retrospective and Masterclass with Alice Diop is scheduled for Saturday April 13. The world premiere of the documentary series PALÉO, UNE ODYSSÉE 1976 - 2022 by our Master Cinéma ECAL-HEAD will be shown as the closing film. Numerous meetings and the presidency of the Youth Jury will be the highlights of the Film Department’s involvement in the 55th edition of the Swiss festival.

Synopsis of Mawtini by Tabarak Abbas (CH, 2024, 12’)

When war breaks out in Baghdad in the early 90s, Siham and Rakan decide to fight the killer robot invaders to escape the city and protect the future of their newborn daughter. In a world masterfully inspired by Japanese anime, Tabarak Allah Abbas brings his parents’ story to life, while paying tribute to their courage.

Screenings

15.4.24 at 6:15pm Usine à Gaz 1
19.4.24 at 4:00 PM Capitole Fellini

Mawtini trailer

Masterclass with Alice Diop, offered by the Department of Cinema at HEAD - Geneva in collaboration with Visions du Réel.

The director will give a masterclass on Saturday April 13, moderated by Anita Hugi, head of the Cinema Department, and Mourad Moussa, programmer at Visions du Réel. In addition to this meeting, a complete retrospective of the director’s work will be presented at the festival. A key filmmaker in the realm of cinema and fiction, Alice Diop aims to question French society from the margins, and distinguishes herself by her desire to give substance to singular journeys, exploring the intimate in order to reach out to the universal.

Saturday April 13, 2024 at 2:00 pm
Théâtre de Marens, Nyon

Portrait of Alice Diop

We are honored that the 55th edition of Visions du Réel will close with the world premiere of our documentary series PALÉO, UNE ODYSSÉE 1976 - 2022. The special screening will take place on Saturday 20.04.2024. The series consists of 4 episodes conceived and produced by students of Master Cinéma HEAD-ECAL for the Paléo Festival Nyon. Each episode was followed by a renowned graduate: Juliana Fanjul, Andreas Fontana, Fisnik Maxville and Carmen Jaquier. This special screening will be a unique opportunity to delve into the history and archives of the Paléo festival. Come one, come all!

*PALÉO, UNE ODYSSÉE 1976 - 2022 (CH, 2024, 4 episodes)** synopsis

The history of the Paléo festival, its frenzied crowds, its protagonists from all walks of life and its questions about the future: the festival is the subject of a captivating documentary series by students from the HEAD-ECAL Master of Cinema program. Four vignettes of archival footage to thrill to the sounds of this not-to-be-missed institution in French-speaking Switzerland.

Image from PALÉO, UNE ODYSSÉE 1976 - 2022