Ajyal Film Festival 2023

All Films

Playground (Un Monde)

Ajyal Competition, Ajyal at Vox - Ajyal Film Festival 2021

Laura Wandel / Feature Narrative / Belgium / 2021 / 72 min / Colour / DCP / In French / Arabic, English subtitles / MENA Premiere
Rated: Parental guidance is advised for viewers under the age of 13. Individuals under the age of 13 are not admitted into cinemas unless accompanied by an individual aged 18 or older.

Synopsis

7-year-old Nora and her big brother Abel are back to school. When Nora witnesses Abel being bullied, she rushes to protect him by warning their father. But Abel forces her to remain silent. Caught in a conflict of loyalty, Nora must ultimately try to find her place, torn between the worlds of childhood and adulthood—each with its own set of paradoxical rules. A powerfully authentic look at the micro-society of a schoolyard, ‘Playground’ shows us the realities of growing up and the integration of the self in broader society.

About the Director

Laura Wandel was born in 1984 in Belgium, where she studied filmmaking at the Institut des Arts de Diffusion (IAD). Her graduation film, ‘Murs’, was selected for many festivals around the world. Wandel’s first professional short film was ‘O Négatif’ (2010), followed by ‘Les corps étrangers’ (2014). ‘Playground (Un Monde)’ is her debut feature and won the FIPRESCI Prize in Un Certain Regard at Cannes Film Festival 2021.

Credits

Director
Laura Wandel
Screenwriter
Laura Wandel
Producer
Stéphane Lhoest
Editor
Nicolas Rumpl
Co-Producer
Jan de Clercq
Cinematographer
Frédéric Noirhomme
Sales Company
Indie Sales
Sound
Thomas Grimm-Landsberg
Distributor
Indie Sales
Cast
Maya Vanderbeque, Günter Duret, Karim Leklou, Laura Verlinden

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