After being feted for his short film oeuvres at prestige fests such as the Berlinale and Locarno, Mo Harawe premiered his feature debut at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard section. A project that passed through several labs (including Marrakech’s own Atlas Workshops) The Village Next To Paradise redefines the idea of family and here we find them inseparable despite the economic and political environment that is trying its best at pulling them apart. In the backdrop of a village somewhere in the Somali desert, here, our character set, both old and young, manage to persevere.
I had the pleasure to speak to Mogadishu-born filmmaker at the 2024 Marrakech International Film Festival Harawe shared his vision for portraying Somali culture in this deeply heart-wrenching drama, offering a deeper understanding of the country’s distinctive clan system. Additionally, we explored the advantages of working within a different film industry ecosystem.
