Holidays In Palestine
Fall Grants 2023 - Post-Production Stage
Maxime Lindon / Feature Documentary / France, Palestine, Qatar / 60 min / Original Language: Arabic / Interests: Documentary
Synopsis
Shadi, a Palestinian activist turned French citizen, returns to Wadi Rahal in occupied Palestine with the hope of resettling there. Years later, the memories of this first return trip have never left his head, and he continues to question them. He shares them with us. During these three weeks of vacation, a multi-layered portrait of Shadi begins to take shape. Shadi is hailed as a hero but must face the expectations of those around him. His mother wants him to marry a local girl, and his brother, a former political prisoner, considers his exile as a betrayal, both to the family and the struggle. As the Israeli settlement facing the village continues to expand, the joy of reunification gives way to a realization that political resistance in the village has waned. Deprived of recognition by his party, Fatah, which he never abandoned in France, Shadi is slowly overcome with disappointment. Although he finds his place again at home, a desire to escape resurfaces. Return becomes disillusionment. Still haunted by these memories, Shadi now lives in a house in France with his wife, Alexia and their three-year-old son, Mickaël. Does he see and consider his exile as a surrender or as an accomplishment?
Credits
- Director
- Maxime Lindon
- Screenwriter
- Maxime Lindon, Julien Darras
- Producer
- Julien Darras (Pitch Films), Eyal Sivan (Momento), May Odeh (Odeh Films)
- Production Company
- Pitch Films, Momento Films, Odeh Films
About the Director
Screenwriter and director Maxime's journey in the audiovisual field, including film workshops and institutional films, has led towards cinematic filmmaking. After starting as a screenwriter in television (Elephant Prod, Lizland Films), Maxime transitioned to creative work, producing two self-funded fiction short films, 'Swing' and 'Lutto'. Following this, he directed a feature-length documentary, 'Vacances en Palestine', which is currently in post-production (Co-produced by Pitch Films, Odeh Films, Momento!). Maxime then co-directed with Julien Darras the fiction short film 'Dernières nuits, premiers jours' (Produced by Les Films du Cygne in Paris), currently under review by the CNC (France) for a production grant.