To a Land UnknownTo a Land Unknown

Winner of Best Film in the World Cinema Competition at this year’s Galway Film Fleadh...

To a Land Unknown follows Chatila (Mahmood Bakri) and Reda (Aram Sabbagh) who are saving to pay for fake passports to get out of Athens. But when Reda loses their hard-earned cash to his dangerous drug addiction, Chatila hatches an extreme plan, which involves them posing as smugglers and taking hostages in an effort to get him and his best friend out of their hopeless environment before it is too late.

The second feature from Palestinian director Mahdi Fleifel, To a Land Unknown is an empathetic and humanist tale highlighting the geographical and spiritual exile the conflict in Gaza has wrought on those displaced in the aftermath. Illuminated by two standout performances of warmth and quiet devastation from Bakri and Sabbagh and with potent support from Yorgos Lanthimos regular Angeliki Papoulia, To a Land Unknown combines thriller-like pacing with stark, tragic drama in this uncompromising perspective on the immigrant experience.

Mahdi Fleifel | Greece, Denmark, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Palestine | 2024 | 105 mins | Subtitled

Courtesy of Salaud Morisset