Video Interview: Zeina Durra – Luxor

The soaked in history backdrop of Egypt serves as a reminder that the past is sometimes more present than one can anticipate and while we attempt to hold it at bay, when the levee breaks it is both devastating and welcomed. In Zeina Durra‘s sophomore film Luxor, the notion of time, memory and place offer the sage Hana (Andrea Riseborough) a moment to reflect, a moment to breathe and for a certain ownership of second chances to occur. A sort of minimalist Before Sunrise for adults with notes of Antonioni’s The Passenger, this textured tale feels lived-in. Her big return to Sundance after having premiered The Imperialists Are Still Alive! in 2009, we discussed baggy pants and broken people and let the conversation organically flow from one film note to the next.
Eric Lavallée is the founder, CEO, editor-in-chief, film journalist and critic at IONCINEMA.com (founded in 2000). Eric is a regular at Sundance, Cannes and TIFF. He has a BFA in Film Studies at the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. In 2013 he served as a Narrative Competition Jury Member at the SXSW Film Festival. He was an associate producer on Mark Jackson's This Teacher (2018 LA Film Festival, 2018 BFI London). In 2022 he served as a New Flesh Comp for Best First Feature at the 2022 Fantasia Intl. Film Festival. Current top films for 2022 include Tár (Todd Field), All That Breathes (Shaunak Sen), Aftersun (Charlotte Wells).
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