THE SEASONS OF SILENCE

Abdeslam Kelai

Morocco

Synopsis

Omar returns to his village after fifteen years of absence, in the hope of getting rid of the remorse that haunts him, which was precisely the reason why he had to leave. He finds his mother who was waiting for him in pain and silence, his brother Amin, two years his senior, who is married and has two children, and his younger sister Nisrine who is preparing for her wedding, which will take place in two days. Omar witnessed the suicide of Yousra, a young girl from the village, who was hit by a train because she was pregnant with her brother Amine and could not have an abortion. When Omar tried to save her, his brother prevented him to rid himself of the death of his lover of shame and scandal. However, none of Omar’s family members wants to hear this torturous truth.

3^rd feature

Production

Mouton Rouge Films (Morocco)
Abdeslam Kelai
abdeslamkelai@gmail.com

Director’s statement

Revealing a truth rejected by everyone poses a real dilemma to the protagonist of the film: either he reveals it, and he destabilizes the life and comfort of all those he loves, or he keeps it to himself and assumes the torments of his conscience and the weight of this remorse. It is a contemplative, poetic film where the passage of time and the unsaid aim to immerse the viewer in the life of a society dominated by the law of silence and old customs. The natural settings of a dark and overcrowded working town, and those of a picturesque village in the mountains of northern Morocco, will give the film its realistic atmosphere. It is a film that seeks to move, but above all to address the awakened and sober conscience of the spectators by asking the essential questions on the themes of truth and social and religious hypocrisy.

Biographies

Abdeslam Kelai

Director

Abdeslam Kelai is a Moroccan director, screenwriter and producer who has directed several feature-length films for television, like La dame de l’aube (Best Television Film Award, Amman Television Festival), Amour et colère, Le silence de la mémoire and Six mois et un jour - all Grand Prize winners at the Meknes Television Festival. His series Aïn Al Haq, a great public success was very well received by critics. He has directed four short films before shooting his first feature-length film Malak which won numerous awards. Goldfishes, his second feature, won best screenplay, best actress and special mention by critics at the last Tangier National Film Festival.