Ahlam al-Madina
Encyclopedia
Ahlam al-Madina (Dreams of the City) is a Syria
n feature drama film by director Mohamed Malas
. The story is about a young widow and her two sons are forced to move from their native Quneitra
to Damascus
, where her brutish father offers little emotional or financial support, forcing all of them to fend for themselves. Against the backdrop of successive military coups that punctuated the turbulent 50s in Syria, Adib, the eldest of the two boys, comes of age in the overwhelming urban magic of Damascus. Images of mosques, the faces of strangers and the greenery that embroiders Damascus swirl by as Adib witnesses each dizzying and violent day in the city.
The film is partially autobiographical, and it marks the emergence of auteur cinema in Syria, and an unsentimental and at times critical look at the lives of the middle classes.
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
n feature drama film by director Mohamed Malas
Mohamed Malas
Mohammad Malas is a prominent Syrian filmmaker. He graduated from the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography in 1974.-Selected cinematography:* A Dream of a Small City * Quneitra 74 * Ahlam al-Madina...
. The story is about a young widow and her two sons are forced to move from their native Quneitra
Quneitra
Quneitra is the largely destroyed and abandoned capital of the Quneitra Governorate in south-western Syria. It is situated in a high valley in the Golan Heights at an elevation of 1,010 metres above sea level...
to Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, where her brutish father offers little emotional or financial support, forcing all of them to fend for themselves. Against the backdrop of successive military coups that punctuated the turbulent 50s in Syria, Adib, the eldest of the two boys, comes of age in the overwhelming urban magic of Damascus. Images of mosques, the faces of strangers and the greenery that embroiders Damascus swirl by as Adib witnesses each dizzying and violent day in the city.
The film is partially autobiographical, and it marks the emergence of auteur cinema in Syria, and an unsentimental and at times critical look at the lives of the middle classes.
Awards
- Carthage Film FestivalCarthage Film FestivalThe Carthage Film Festival is a biannual October film festival hosted by the government of Tunisia. It alternates with the Damascus International Film Festival....
- Tanit d'Or, 1985. - Berlin International Film FestivalBerlin International Film FestivalThe Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
- Interfilm Award - Honorable Mention, 1985. - Valencia Festival of Mediterranean Cinema - Golden Palm, 1985.