East of Noon presents an allegorical take on the dichotomy of control and freedom. The story unfolds in two spaces: SHARQ12, a sandy enclave situated in an industrial ruin; and the Sea, a fluid landscape and simultaneously a longed for state of freedom. How do you imagine the sea when you have never seen it?

The characters embody a core personal question: How is hope kept alive in a grim reality? They struggle with fear in quest for a freedom that is instinctive, but ill-defined, with a hovering dilemma: can one stay clean in a dirty world?

It is the young artist Abdo who most longs for freedom. His music is his saviour. The stories of his grandmother Jalala provide further relief from the hopeless reality, but also perpetuate the status quo, reflecting the complex relationship of art to authority.

East of Noon is a satire on the inner workings of an ailing autocracy and its inherent vulnerability to youth’s unchained vision of a better world.

AFK and Mondriaan Fund supported the research for East of Noon. The film is selected by De Verbeelding, a collaboration of Mondriaan Fund and Netherlands Film Fund. Fonds 21 supports the production of the film. The post-production is supported by DOHA Film Institute.

The film is selected for Quinzaine des Réalisateurs at Filmfestival Cannes 2024.

production: vriza, seriousFilm, Nu’ta Film

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