SAMOUNI ROAD
O.V. Arabic and Hebrew subtitle in Spanish and English
No matter how many images of Gaza reach us, it isn’t easy to get inside what is happening there. Samouni Road manages it through one story: that of the survivors of the previously numerous Samouni family, who today are rebuilding their homes and orchards after an Israeli attack. Through a magnificent, expressive animation (by Simone Massi, in a dark, pictorial version of the world of Marjane Satrapi or Joe Sacco), we live through the turbulent hours of the massacre. In real image, the faces and words of those left behind, at whom we can finally look. Best Documentary Award at the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes.
Direction: Stefano Savona
Script: Stefano Savona, Léa Mysius, Penelope Bortoluzzi
Cinematography: Stefano Savona
Editing: Luc Forveille
Music: Giulia Tagliavia
Sound: Stefano Savona
Animation: Simone Massi
Production: Penelope Bortoluzzi, Marco Alessi, Cécile Lestrade
Production Company: Pico lms, Alter Ego Production, Dugong Films
Stefano Savona
Palermo, 1969. After studying archaeology and anthropology, and working as a photographer, in 1997 he started to produce and direct. His first feature film, Notes from a Kurdish Rebel (2006), produced by Arte France, won the International Jury Prize at Cinéma du Réel. Later, Cast Lead (2008) won the Special Jury Prize at Locarno. In 2010, with Penelope Bortoluzzi, he founded the production company Picofilms, with which he produced his films Palazzo delle Aquile (Grand Prix at the Cinéma du Réel in 2011) and Tahrir Liberation Square, which after being shown at Locarno and the New York Festival, was shown in France and won the David di Donatello Award and the Silver Ribbon for Best Documentary in Italy. Samouni Road, his latest film, won the Œil d'Or in Cannes.
