Projects in development
THE PASSPORT
Synopsis
A mysterious man from Gaza, on his way to Canada, dies on the layover plane to Belgrade, and nobody knows what to do with his corpse as the borders with Gaza have all shut down. But who is this man anyway and what was he traveling for?
Salaud Morisset (France)
Laura Jumel, François Morisset
laura@salaudmorisset.com
Director’s statement
I was attending a film festival in Uzbekistan four years ago when I was informed that my father had passed away. It was a very difficult moment for me to be far and try to find a flight to Jordan where he was deceased. This personal experience has opened the question of life and death to me all over again. When a person dies, does his or her identity suddenly disappear? Does it melt away out of the system leaving the person simply human? Or does identity haunt the dead as well? The “curse” of being Palestinian in today’s world system brands you to the point that even in death a Palestinian remains trapped. In spite of this heavy subject, I conceived The Passport as a dark but humorous and light road movie that tackles the subject of identity, death, and the Palestinian cause.
Biographies
Rakan Mayasi is an independent Palestinian filmmaker based in Brussels, Belgium. He has written, directed, and produced five short films: Sea Sonata, Roubama, Bonboné, Trumpets in the Sky, and The Key - all of which were screened at international film festivals including TIFF, Locarno, Clermont-Ferrand, Küstendorf, NYFF, Rio de Janeiro among many others. His films went on to receive many awards as well as international sales. The Passport is his first feature film in writing.
Laura Jumel is a French producer based in Paris. She joined the international distributor Salaud Morisset in 2019 and structured its production branch. The company accompanies international directors and has produced several short films so far, including Trumpets in the Sky by Rakan Mayasi (TIFF 2021) and Witness, directed by Academy member Ali Asgari. The company is now expanding to feature films and documentaries.
€1 500 000
€5000
September 2024 Serbia, Canada, Lebanon, Egypt
January 2025
Financial support, script consultations, co-producers, sales agents
