SWEAT RAIN
Film - International Independents Filmfest 2017

SWEAT RAIN

Directed by Hakim Belabbes

Info

Director: Hakim Belabbes
Section: International Independents
Country: Morocco
Year: 2016
PT: PLUIE DE SUEUR
OT: PLUIE DE SUEUR
Language: Arabic
Version: Original version with English subtitles
Cast: Amine Ennaji, Fatima-Ezzahra Bennaceur, Ayoub Khalfaoui, Hamid Najah, Hamid Belabbes
18+ (no age rating)

Logline

SWEAT RAIN

M'barek, a small farmer, lives on a piece of ancestral land, with his wife, his old father, and his son; an adolescent with Down Syndrome. M'barek owes money to an agricultural bank, and finds himself in a situation where, if he does not pay back his loan, he may very well lose his land. To make matters worse, a drought is in full swing. To remedy this situation, M'barek spends his time digging a well in search for precious water. His wife, Ida, is pregnant. She tries, as best she can, to appease the anguish of her husband, but to no avail. When his efforts to find money to pay the loan fail, M'barek finds himself forced to take a drastic decision, and travels to a nearby town to try to save what he can. During his absence, his son, Ayoub, takes the place of his father. An empathic and poetic drama set in the Moroccan countryside.

Meet the director

SWEAT RAIN

Hakim Belabbes

Hakim Belabbes was born in the Moroccan town of Boujad, where his father owned the only movie theatre. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in American and African literature in 1983 from Mohamed V University in Rabat, Morocco, and a graduate degree in film and video from Columbia College in Chicago, where he now teaches film direction and production. Belabbes served as head of the audio visual department at the Hassan II Foundation in Rabat, where he created films that document the experiences of Moroccan immigrants in Europe. He has produced and directed more than 10 films and received several awards.

Credits

Screenplay: Hakim Belabbes
Director of Photography: Amine Messadi
Film Editor: Hakim Belabbes, Agnes Starczewski
Composer: Amir Sayed Al Hassan, Mohammed Ali Essoudani, Hamid Daoussi
Production Designer: Jalal Abdelghani
Costume Design: Siham Essakhiri
Sound: Said Radi, Mark Wilkening, Issam Khayat
Producer: Nabil Ayouch
Production Company: Ali n' Productions