InstituteFestivalProfessionals
EN/NL
Donate
Loading...
MyIDFA
Zaatari Djinn
About IDFA
Archive
Zaatari Djinn
IDFA 2016

Zaatari Djinn

Catherine van Campen
Netherlands
2016
91 min
World Premiere
Festival history
Zaatari is a refugee camp in Jordan, close to the Syrian border, which over the years has grown to become a settlement with a population of 80,000. It is an improvised city in the desert, with prefab units instead of proper housing and sandy paths instead of streets. The thousands of children who live there have few possessions; a soccer ball is a luxury, a second-hand bike a treasure. In , Catherine van Campen follows four children who each cope with the camp’s difficult circumstances in their own way. The dreamy Maryam keeps herself occupied with soccer practice and theater rehearsals, while Hammoudi hardly seems aware of the tragic situation in his hometown in Syria. The same cannot be said of the downcast Ferras, who has to work for a living, or rebellious Fatma, who makes friends with a rooster. Stories about djinns – supernatural beings that can be either good or evil – are a leitmotif in the film. With her poetic, observational style, Van Campen not only documents the children’s daily lives, but also lays bare their souls.
Credits
Screening copy
    Witfilm
    Witfilm
Distribution for the Netherlands
    Cinema Delicatessen
    Cinema Delicatessen
Involved TV Channel
    NCRV
    NCRV

Videos