Projects in development
YOUR TURN, 203
Synopsis
Beirut, 2023. Lebanon is going through a catastrophic economic crisis. Fifty-five-year-old Aïda feels powerless since her husband Maurice lost his job. Her life is turned upside down when she accompanies her neighbor Saydeh on a film shoot, to work as an extra. Despite Maurice's misgivings, Aïda immerses herself in this new world and discovers a group of women seeking independence. Maurice sells their possessions, hoping to join their son in Canada. As Aïda blossoms, her marriage deteriorates. Things come to a head when a European film crew arrives, and jealousy and a dispute over money divide the group. Aïda rallies her friends to save the day. When Maurice comes to the shoot, however, he triggers a catastrophe. The crisis forces the couple to speak openly. Aïda and Maurice have to start again from scratch, but with a new depth of communication to reimagine their life together.
Director’s statement
In 2018, during a casting call, I met 50-year-old Liliane, who was overwhelmed when asked about her dreams and aspirations. She wrote to me a few weeks later to say that our encounter had had a profound effect on her, as it was the first time she had thought about her own desires. This experience inspired Your Turn, 203, which tells the story of Aïda, a 50-year-old woman who discovers a new freedom within a troupe of extras, despite family and financial pressures. Set against the backdrop of crisis in Lebanon, the film explores Aïda’s path to self-awareness and her first steps toward emancipation. Aïda's awakening represents the beginning of a quest for self. Your Turn, 203 takes place in a world in which questioning one’s role in society becomes an essential act of change. This film highlights the voices of seldom-heard women, whose struggles are inspiring and universal.
Biographies
Born in Beirut in 1991, Cynthia Sawma is a Lebanese director and screenwriter, known for her sharp, pungent sarcasm and her ability to navigate between reality and fiction. She began her career as an actor, then as a casting director, and went on to direct music videos, commercials, and the short films Congratulations (2015), Red Wall (2020), and Scenes from Home (2021). Her immersive virtual-reality documentary Dreaming of Lebanon (2023) was presented at South by Southwest in 2024.
The founder and CEO of Abbout Productions, Georges Schoucair has developed and produced critically acclaimed and award-winning independent films. His work has contributed to the establishment of an attractive and globally acknowledged environment for film investment in and from Lebanon.
Matthew Gledhill recently co-produced Benoît Delhomme’s Mothers’ Instinct (2024) at Wheelhouse and is currently working on Sophie Hyde’s next film. Until recently, Gledhill was Senior Vice President, International Production at Studiocanal. Prior to that, he was co-director of One World Films, where he produced Joann Sfar's Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life (2010) and David Oelhoffen’s Far from Men (2014).
