TASTE OF CEMENT
COMPLETED
Filmmaker: Ziad Kalthoum
Country: Germany, Lebanon, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Qatar
Runtime: 85′
Year: 2017
Format: HD
In Beirut, Syrian construction workers are building a skyscraper while at the same time their own houses at home are being shelled. The Lebanese war is over but the Syrian one still rages on. The workers are locked in the building site. They are not allowed to leave it after 7p.m. The Lebanese government has imposed night-time curfews on the refugees. The only contact with the outside world for these Syrian workers is the hole through which they climb out in the morning to begin a new day of work. Cut off from their homeland, they gather at night around a small TV set to get the news from Syria. Tormented by anguish and anxiety, while suffering the deprivation of the most basic human and workers right, they keep hoping for a different life.
CREDITS
Producers: Ansgar Frerich, Eva Kemme, Tobias Siebert, Mohammad Ali Atassi
Cinematographer: Talal Khoury
Editing: Alex Bakri, Frank Brummundt
FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
Best Feature of the International Competition – Visions du Reel
Special Mention – Valetta Film Festival
Grand Prix for the Best Feature Documentary – Mediterranean Film Festival
The Emerging International Filmmaker Award – Open City Documentary Festival in London
The Harrell Award for Best Documentary Feature – Camden International Film Festival
The Best Doc Film – Batumi International Art-House Film Festival
Doc Alliance Selection Award
The Flinders University International Best Documentary Award – Adelaide Film Festival
The New Wave Competition Prize – La Roche-sur-Yon International Film Festival
Jury Prize – FRONTDOC 2017
Golden Key – Kasseler Dokfest
Special Jury Prize – RIDM
Don Quixote Prize for Best Feature Film – L’Alternativa, Festival de Cine Independiente de Barcelona
Special Mention in the Official Feature Film Section – L’Alternativa, Festival de Cine Independiente de Barcelona
Open Eyes Prize – MedFilm Festival
Emerging Director Prize – Porto/Post/Doc
Best Documentary Feature – Dubai International Film Festival
The Audience Award – Ramdam Film Festival
Puma Award, Best Film – Festival Internacional de Cine UNAM (FICUNAM)
The Audience Award – Festival Internacional de Cine UNAM (FICUNAM)
Filmkunstfest Mecklenburg-Vorpommern – Best Cinemathography
The Critics Awards, Arab Cinema Center – Best Documentary
Best Documentary Award at the Oran International Film Festival Algiers
Silver Nanook – Festival Flahertiana
Best documentary of the international Competition – Slobodna Zona / Free Zone Film Festival / Serbia
Audience Award – Arab Film Festival in Tubingen Germany
Best Picture Award – Global Cinema Film Festival of Boston
Best documentary – Gabes Film festival, Tunis
Special Award of the Jury – Millenium Film Festival, Belgium
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