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Memory Box

Competition 2021
© Haut et Court - Abbout Productions - Micro_Scope
Maia lives in Montreal with her teenage daughter Alex. On Christmas Eve, Maia receives a box containing the journals, tapes and photos that she had entrusted to her best friend when she left Lebanon. She refuses to open this Pandora’s box but Alex, who is stuck at home due to a snowstorm, cannot resist the temptation to secretly go through the box of her mother’s memories. In doing so, she unveils a troubled adolescence spent in wartime Beirut. Memory Box is Joana Hadjithomas’ and Khalil Joreige’s most accomplished work to date. For years, these two artists and filmmakers have been questioning the role of memory in creating images and writing contemporary history. The pair has always shown an interest in the emotional processes associated with the trauma of war, but this time they have decided to put themselves on the line. Joana’s own journals and tapes from 1982 to 1988 and Khalil’s wartime photographs form the archive around which they build the story of Maia and Alex. Theirs is a narrative in which Alex’s experience of the aesthetics of social media is in conversation with the physical presence of images of her mother’s youth. This conversation engenders a unique and touching film which gives shape to personal visions and depictions.
by Joana Hadjithomas (Director, Screenplay), Khalil Joreige (Director, Screenplay), Gaëlle Macé (Screenplay)
with Rim Turki, Manal Issa, Paloma Vauthier, Clémence Sabbagh, Hassan Akil France / Lebanon / Canada / Qatar 2021 French, Arabic 100' Colour

Part of the Berlinale Summer Special

With

  • Rim Turki (Maia (adult))
  • Manal Issa (Maia (young))
  • Paloma Vauthier (Alex)
  • Clémence Sabbagh (Téta)
  • Hassan Akil (Raja)

Crew

Directors Joana Hadjithomas, Khalil Joreige
Screenplay Gaëlle Macé, Joana Hadjithomas, Khalil Joreige
Cinematography Josée Deshaies
Editing Tina Baz
Visual Effects Laurent Brett
Music Radwan Ghazi Moumneh, Charbel Haber
Sound Guillaume le Braz, Rana Eid, Olivier Goinard
Production Design Maïa El Khoury, Mary Lynn Deachman, Franckie Diago
Costumes Lara Mae Khamis
Casting Sarah Teper, Abla Khoury, Brigitte Viau, Isabelle Thez-Axelrad
Line Producers Abla Khoury, Lara Karam Chekerdjian
Producers Carole Scotta, Georges Schoucair, Christian Eid, Barbara Letellier, Luc Déry, Kim McCraw, Jasmyrh Lemoine

World Sales

Playtime

Produced by

Haut et Court

Abbout Productions

micro_scope

Abbout Production

Photos

Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige

© Tarek Moukaddem

Filmmakers and artists Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige work between photography, installations, video and cinema, experimenting with both documentary and fiction film forms. They question the fabrication of images and representations, the construction of imaginaries and the writing of history. They are recipients of the prestigious Marcel Duchamp Prize and their artworks form part of prominent exhibitions and collections.

Filmography (selection)

1999 Al Bayt al Zaher (Around the Pink House); 92 min. 2000 Khiam; documentary 2003 Al Film Al Mafkoud (The Lost Film); 42 min. · Ramad (Ashes); 26 min. 2005 Yawmoun Akhar (A Perfect Day); 88 min. 2006 Open the door, please; 11 min. 2008 Khiam 2000-2007; 103 min. · Je veux voir (I want to see); 75 min. 2012 The Lebanese Rocket Society; documentary 2016 Ismyrna; 53 min. 2021 Memory Box; 95 min., Competition 2021 2024 Sarcophagus of Drunken Loves

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2024