Born in the Maelstrom
Spring Grants 2016 - Production Stage

Meryam Joobeur / Short Narrative / Tunisia, Canada, Qatar / 2017 / 25 min / Original Language: English / Interests: Women, Coming of age, Social Issues, Adaptation, Identity
Synopsis
Inspired by the novel ‘Naissance de Rebecca à l’ère des tourments’ by Québécoise author Marie-Claire Blais, ‘Born in the Maelstrom’ is an impressionistic coming-of-age story of an 18-year-old biracial girl named Rebecca and her struggle against racism, oppression and the karmic ties that haunt the human spirit. The film follows Rebecca as she endures her last days on an all-female campsite/commune with her black mother Vénus.
Credits
- Director
- Meryam Joobeur
- Screenwriter
- Meryam Joobeur
- Producer
- Hani Ouichou
- Production Company
- Art & Essai
About the Director

Meryam Joobeur is an Academy Award-nominated Tunisian-American writer / director / producer, based in Montréal, Canada. Her work includes both documentary and fiction. Her short films’ Gods, Weeds and Revolutions’ (2012) and ‘Born in the Maelstrom’ (2017), starring Sasha Lane, screened in dozens of national and international festivals. Her Academy nominated short ‘Brotherhood’ (2018) screened at 150+ festivals and won 75 international prizes.