From Tarik Selah’s Boy from Heaven (2022) to the recent Jonathan Millet’s Ghost Trail (2024), Tawfeek Barhom has the kind of face that stays etched in memory. As the world (Barhom included) awaits for Terrence Malick’s The Way of the Wind, the filmmaker confidently landed on the Crosiette this year with his debut short I’m Glad You’re Dead Now — it was not only selected for competition but it won the Palme d’Or only days after its showcase. Shot in Greece and rooted in the emotional terrain of memory and unresolved family wounds, this follows two brothers—played by Barhom and his real-life sibling—as they return to the island of their childhood and confront the secrets that have shaped them. It’s a striking debut, revealing Barhom not only as a compelling actor but as a filmmaker to watch out for.
At the Doha Film Festival I got the speak to Barhom – I of course asked him about his previous work as an actor and what is was like to work with Terrence Malick, but we also plunged into the making of his short and his choices there. We look forward to his debut feature.
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