| Concrete Valley | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Antoine Bourges |
| Written by | Antoine Bourges Teyama Alkamli |
| Produced by | Shehrezade Mian |
| Starring | Hussam Douhna Amani Ibrahim Abdullah Nadaf Aliya Kanani |
| Cinematography | Nikolay Michaylov |
| Edited by | Lindsay Allikas |
| Music by | Nawars Nader |
Production companies | General Use Markhor Pictures |
| Distributed by | MDFF |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Languages | English Arabic |
Concrete Valley is a Canadian drama film, directed by Antoine Bourges and released in 2022.[1] The film centres on a family of Syrian immigrants to Canada who are struggling to establish themselves in the Thorncliffe Park neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The film has a cast of predominantly amateur actors.[2]
The film was written by Bourges and Teyama Alkamli, based in part on interviews with the cast about their own real experiences as immigrants.[2] It stars Hussam Douhna as Rashid, who was a doctor in Syria but has been humiliated by his inability to use his skills in his new home; Amani Ibrahim as his wife Fahra, who finds meaning by participating in a volunteer neighbourhood cleanup crew; and Abdullah Nadaf as their son Ammar.[1] Aliya Kanani, the main professional actress in the cast, has a supporting role as the leader of the community cleanup group.[1]
The film premiered in the Wavelengths program at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.[3] It was later screened at the 73rd Berlin Film Festival in February 2023,[4] before going into commercial release in July.[5]
Critical response
Barry Hertz of The Globe and Mail positively reviewed the film, writing that "the performers’ sometimes stilted, halting line-readings circumvent a sense of amateurism due to the film’s central thematic preoccupations – every character here is learning to live a new life, unsure of themselves, their language, their place. The result is rather thrilling, with Bourges, his co-writer Teyama Alkamli and his cast building a different kind of cinematic storytelling right before our eyes."[5]
References
- 1 2 3 Pat Mullen, "Concrete Valley Review: Straddling Two Worlds". Point of View, September 12, 2022.
- 1 2 Mira Miller, "A movie about immigrating to Thorncliffe Park is getting its world premiere in Toronto". BlogTO, September 11, 2022.
- ↑ Mark Asch, "‘Concrete Valley’ Review: An Understated Study Of The Emasculation Of Exile". The Playlist, September 12, 2022.
- ↑ Scott Roxborough, "Berlin Fest Adds World Premieres of John Malkovich’s ‘Seneca,’ Alex Gibney’s Boris Becker Doc". The Hollywood Reporter, December 20, 2022.
- 1 2 Barry Hertz, "Canadian drama Concrete Valley delivers an uncanny level of richly rewarding cinema: In Concrete Valley, Antoine Bourges, his co-writer Teyama Alkamli and the cast build a different kind of cinematic storytelling right before our eyes". The Globe and Mail, July 17, 2023.
External links