El Gouna Film Festival

Director

Sylvain George

Sylvain George was born in Lyon, France. he has made documentary films on the themes of immigration and social movements. He has collaborated with several artists who are engaged in art and politics. His work was honored by tributes at La Cinémathèque Française (2008), Slovenian Cinémathèque (2011), Punto de Vista International Documentary Film Festival (2012), and Lima Independent Film Festival (2013), as well as film events in Italy, Germany, Columbia, Peru, and Bulgaria. His most prominent works include: Paris is a Moveable Feast - A Film in 18 Waves (2017), The Outbursts -My Mouth, My Name, My Revolt (2011), May They Rest in Revolt - Figures of Wars (2010), and The Impossible - Pieces of Fury (2009). His latest film, OBSCURE NIGHT - GOODBYE HERE, ANYWHERE, had its World Premiere in Locarno International Competition where it received a special mention.

OBSCURE NIGHT - GOODBYE HERE, ANYWHERE(2023)

(2023)

Feature Documentary Competition, France, Switzerland, Arabic, Spanish, French - 18 min

Director

Sylvain George

France, Switzerland | 2023 | 18 min | Arabic, Spanish, French

Producer Marie-Noëlle George, Ottavia Fragnito
Production Company Noir Production / Alina Film
Screenplay Sylvain George
Cinematography Sylvain George
Editing Sylvain George
Sound Carlos Ibañez Diaz, Sylvain George
Cast
Contacts
Noir Production, noirproduction.distribution@gmail.com

About the Film

Similar to his previous documentary, May They Rest in Revolt – Figures of War (2010), which documents the daily injustices, social exclusion, and growing government hostility towards African male migrants who crammed at the French port of Calais, director is taking another turn of risk on a different setting in his new film Obscure Night. Set against the backdrop of the Spanish enclave of Melilla, Morocco, the film follows a group of young men as they plot tirelessly to cross the border and "burn" the sea.

This occupied city has become a dividing line between the hopes of Moroccan youth who dream of a share of European prosperity and the racist and exclusionary immigration laws that are used as a weapon to stop foreigners from "defiling" their land of dreams.

A three-hour, three-minute documentary, Obscure Night, Goodbye Here, Anywhere is a cumulative film that does not shy away from its length. Filled with short chapters in black and white, the film follows a group of young Moroccans as they observe the coastal city of Melilla and elude the police to cross the steel fences that protect the port and its ships, preventing them from "burning" towards the other side of the Mediterranean. The film does not focus on any particular story, but rather accompanies the group, as if they were a small family, in their games, mischief, dreams, search for food, or places to sleep at night.

These are the orphaned children of Melilla, where the Spanish authorities, who call them "araga" (those who burn their own identity cards), indirectly force them to become nocturnal creatures who control the city. They are stuck between mistreatment, alienation, cruelty, violence, and humiliation. We hear them singing about Meknes and Fes, while they are prisoners of a non-place filled with monuments, statues, and icons that glorify colonial symbols. It is a spot that allows them only one final farewell: death.

Strangely enough, they don’t seem to complain or talk about their past. Instead, they recount adventures, plans, and dreams. They carry out their activities with a spirit of solidarity, anticipating the spirit of friendship between them.

Ziad Khuzai

OBSCURE NIGHT - GOODBYE HERE, ANYWHERE (2023)

(2023)

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About the Film

Director

Sylvain George

OBSCURE NIGHT - GOODBYE HERE, ANYWHERE(2023)

(2023)

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