Neo Nahda
(2023, UK, 12 MIN)
Mona, a young woman in London, finds old photographs of Arab women cross-dressing in the 1920s. Somewhere between her fantasies and reality, she starts a feverish journey of uncovering lost histories and her own identity.
Through a coming-of-age narrative the film explores the euphoric relationship those who are marginalised create with images and symbols, and how archive images can be a portal for the world of inner projections, creating meaning and grounding one's identity.
POSTER CREDITS:
DESIGN BY LUCILE GAUVAIN
TITLES BY MINA MAURICE
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARIKA KOCHIASHVILI
Eman Alali as Mona
Nadia Nadif as Shaden
Mona Khaouli as Etel
Vian Rajazbadeh as Donia
Writer and Director - May Ziadé
Producer - Antonia Luxem
Production Designer - Joelle Aoun
Director of Photography - Luciana Riso
Editor - Chiara Bellesia
Costume Designer – Imi Oztas
Hair and Makeup Artist – Ezana Ové
Composer - Layale Chaker
Sound Designer - Zhe Wu
Colorist - Mariam Latif
Executive Producer – Arij al-Soltan
Supported by - BFI NETWORK and British Council
Selected Screenings (FULL LIST IN CV)
BFI Flare - London, UK March 2023
AWAN Festival - London, UK March 2023
Reference Point, 180 The Strand - London, UK May 2023
Safar Film Festival - London & Manchester, UK screenings July 2023
Soura Film Festival - Berlin, Germany August 2023
Les Mains Gauches - Marseille, France September 2023
Encounters Film Festival - Bristol, UK September 2023 National Competition
Short Film Focus - London, UK September 2023
Wimbledon Film Festival - London, UK September 2023
MIX Milan - Milan, Italy September International Competition
Cineffable - Paris, France October 2023
MIX Copenhagen - Copenhagen, Denmark October 2023 Lili Award Nominee
HIQFF - Hamburg, Germany October International Competition
Mizna Arab Film Festival - Minneapolis, USA October 2023
MENA Film Festival - Vancouver, Canada November 2023
Meziprata - Prague & Brno, Czech Republic November 2023 Student Jury Award Special Mention
Bizarre Paris - Paris, France November 2023 - special curation by Sido Lansari
Set Film Festival - London, UK November 2023
Queer Cinena for Palestine - London, UK December 2023
London Short Film Festival (LSFF) - London, UK January 2023 National Competition