East of Noon

Sharq 12

Quinzaine 2024 | Feature film | 109 min | Netherlands, Egypt, Qatar

World premiere

Set in an industrial wasteland in the middle of nowhere, East of Noon is a folktale somewhere between The Arabian Nights and Ubu roi, in which a bunch of brilliant youngsters find ways to survive the autocracy of a childish tyrant whose currency is lottery tickets and sugar cubes. The second feature film by an Egyptian artist, this baroque and excessive film stands out within African and Arab cinemas, invoking the spirits of the “new cinemas” of the sixties and seventies.

Director

Hala Elkoussy

Hala Elkoussy is a visual artist who works across a variety of media: photography, video, installation, sculpture. She produced a number of short films that were screened in exhibitions and film festivals around the world. Cactus Flower, her first feature film, participated at Fabrique Cinema du monde and went on to premiere in International Film Festival Rotterdam. Her second feature film East of Noon received the Verbeelding Grant in Doha.