The Village Next to Paradise: A Close Look at its Beauty and Charm

The Village Next To Paradise is a Somali family drama film directed and written by Mo Harawe, marking his feature-length debut. The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival, making it the first Somali film to ever screen at the festival. The film is an international co-production between FreibeuterFilm (Austria), Kazak Productions (France), Niko Film (Germany), and Maanmaal ACC (Somalia), with Totem Films of France handling international sales. French theatrical distribution will be handled by Jour2Fête.

The film is set in a windy Somali desert village and follows the story of a newly assembled family who must navigate through the challenges of pursuing their individual goals while facing the complexities of modern life. Despite the throes of civil war and natural disasters, love, trust, and resilience power them through their life paths. The cast features emerging Somali actors, including Ahmed Ali Farah, Ahmed Mohamud Saleban, and Anab Ahmed Ibrahim.

Cinematographer Mostafa El Kashef, who is returning to the Cannes Film Festival this year after his short film “I Promise You Paradise” captivated the French festival’s audiences last year, lensed the film. The film is edited by Joana Scrinzi, who received the Best Film Editing prize from the Austrian Film Awards for her multi-award-winning film “Great Freedom,” with Nuur Abdulkadir serving as production designer.

Developed at the Torino Film Script Lab, “The Village Next To Paradise” received a post-production prize from the Atlas Workshops of the Marrakech Film Festival and a Locarno Industry award.