Wilaya (2012)
Director: Pedro Pérez Rosado
Country: Spain
Runtime: 97 minutes
Centered around a family of Spanish-speaking Sahrawi – a stateless, mixed ethnic population inhabiting the deserts of Southwest Algeria – this minimalist, well-shot effort from Pedro Perez Rosado (Salt Water) should continue its fest run after landing the Best Actress award at Abu Dhabi (where it was known as Tears of Sand). Theatrical pickups outside Spain are less certain.
As the opening title cards explain, Wilaya of Smara is a refugee settlement of displaced persons who, following the Spanish decolonization of Mauritania and Morocco, settled in large numbers (estimated at up to 400,000) in the Western Saharan desert. Caught in political limbo (an independence movement is still seeking statehood) and largely self-sufficient, they survive under harsh tribal conditions and remain more or less cut off from the outside world.
Wilaya follows the story of Fatimetu (Nadhira Mohamed), the daughter of Sahrawi parents sent to live with a foster family in Valencia while her handicapped sister, Hayat (Memona Mohamed), and traditionalist brother, Jatri (Mohamed Moulud), remained behind in the refugee camp. Following her mother’s death and a break-up with her Spanish boyfriend, she returns home for the first time in years, expecting to remain only temporarily until she’s slowly – very slowly – swept in by local ties.
Featuring terrific widescreen cinematography by Miguel Morales (Solitary Fragments) and a captivating score by Sahwari singer Aziza Brahim (who plays a neighboring widowed mother), the film boasts enough technical prowess to capture the muted, semi-nomadic lifestyle of its characters.
Country: Spain
Runtime: 97 minutes
Centered around a family of Spanish-speaking Sahrawi – a stateless, mixed ethnic population inhabiting the deserts of Southwest Algeria – this minimalist, well-shot effort from Pedro Perez Rosado (Salt Water) should continue its fest run after landing the Best Actress award at Abu Dhabi (where it was known as Tears of Sand). Theatrical pickups outside Spain are less certain.
As the opening title cards explain, Wilaya of Smara is a refugee settlement of displaced persons who, following the Spanish decolonization of Mauritania and Morocco, settled in large numbers (estimated at up to 400,000) in the Western Saharan desert. Caught in political limbo (an independence movement is still seeking statehood) and largely self-sufficient, they survive under harsh tribal conditions and remain more or less cut off from the outside world.
Wilaya follows the story of Fatimetu (Nadhira Mohamed), the daughter of Sahrawi parents sent to live with a foster family in Valencia while her handicapped sister, Hayat (Memona Mohamed), and traditionalist brother, Jatri (Mohamed Moulud), remained behind in the refugee camp. Following her mother’s death and a break-up with her Spanish boyfriend, she returns home for the first time in years, expecting to remain only temporarily until she’s slowly – very slowly – swept in by local ties.
Featuring terrific widescreen cinematography by Miguel Morales (Solitary Fragments) and a captivating score by Sahwari singer Aziza Brahim (who plays a neighboring widowed mother), the film boasts enough technical prowess to capture the muted, semi-nomadic lifestyle of its characters.
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