Return to Hansala

Return to Hansala
Return to Hansala
Directed by	Chus Gutiérrez
Screenplay by	Chus Gutiérrez, Juan Carlos Rubio
Produced by	Maestranza Films, Muac Films
Starring	Farah Ahmed, José Luís García-Peréz, Adam Bounouacha, Fatimah Andah, El Hussein Aghazaff, Cuca Escribano
Cinematography	Kiko de la Rica
Edited by	Fernando Pardo
Music by	Tao Gutiérrez
Release date	September 10, 2008 (Toronto International Film Festival);
Running time	95 minutes
Country	Spain
Language	Spanish

Return to Hansala (Spanish: Retorno a Hansala) is a 2008 Spanish film directed by Chus Gutiérrez. It won the Golden Pyramid Award at the 32nd Cairo International Film Festival and was also screened at the 2008 Dubai International Film Festival.

Plot[]

At the beginning of this decade the bodies of eleven young Moroccan immigrants who were trying to cross the Straight appeared on the beaches of Rota. From their clothes, it was discovered that they all came from the same village, Hansala. The film tries to portray that event through the eyes of Martín, a funeral parlor owner who tries to make money on their deaths, and Leila, the sister of one of the dead boys. Together, they adventure into trying to repatriate the boy's body by van and live an intense moral experience that will lead them to question their beliefs.

The film begins with several bodies washing up on the Spanish shore, Playa Getares, near the coastal town of Algeciras. One of them is the younger brother of Leila, a refugee living in the town. She had encouraged him to risk the boat crossing to Spain, against their family's wishes. After identifying her brother, Leila decides to repatriate his body, and face the wrath of her parents. Teaming up with a Spanish undertaker Martin, the pair embark on the hazardous trip to Leila's mountain village of Hansala in the Moroccan countryside. Leila's most fundamental beliefs are challenged, as she must face her family, and their grief, anger and love. Martin meanwhile is surprised by his welcome in the village. Director Chus Gutierrez presents with great sensitivity the opposing viewpoints of her main protagonists, artfully, contrasting the lives of rich and poor, separated by only a few hundred miles.

Awards[]

Tao Gutiérrez, Farah Hamed, and Chus Gutiérrez at a press conference for the film at Cines del Sur

Seminci (Valladolid, 2008)
The Golden Pyramid Award at the 32nd Cairo International Film Festival

References[]

African Film Festival of Cordoba-FCAT (license CC BY-SA)
Return to Hansala at IMDb

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