The Dam

Le Barrage

63rd TIFF: Greek Premiere

Sudan, near the Merowe dam. Maher works in a traditional brickyard fed by the waters of the Nile. Every evening, he secretly wanders off into the desert to build a mysterious construction made of mud. While the Sudanese people rise to claim their freedom, his creation starts to take a life of its own… Part of a larger project devoted to the landscapes and expansive geographies of violence, this chilling, imposing film identifies how violent crises are rendered invisible in particular environments, and makes tangibles how political, social and geopolitical events are embedded in the most surprising places.

Screening Schedule

No physical screenings scheduled.

Direction: Ali Cherri

Script: Ali Cherri, Geoffroy Grison, in collaboration with Bertrand Bonello

Cinematography: Bassem Fayad

Editing: Isabelle Manquillet, Nelly Quettier

Sound: Thomas Van Pottelberge, Jakov Munizaba, Simon Apostolou

Music: ROB

Actors: Maher El Khair

Production: KinoElektron

Producers: Janja Kralj

Co-producers: Galerie Imane Fares, Vega Foundation, DGL Travel, Twenty Twenty Vision Filmproduktion GmbH, Trilema

Format: DCP

Color: Color

Production Country: France, Lebanon, Sudan, Qatar, Germany, Serbia

Production Year: 2022

Duration: 81΄

Contact: Indie Sales

Ali Cherri

Born in Beirut, Ali Cherri is a visual artist and filmmaker living in Paris. His work examines the construction of historical narratives by combining films, videos, sculptures, and installations. Ali is the Artist in Residence at the National Gallery in London (2021/22) and has been awarded with the Silver Lion for promising artist at the 59th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia (2022). His short films The Disquiet and The Digger have been shown in prominent film festivals. The Dam, a fiction shot in Sudan during the revolution, is his debut feature film.