The Gate of Sun
2004 · Movie · 278 min. · Egypt
A couple makes love in the early hours of the morning. The woman rises from bed, gets dressed, goes into the street, and calls out to a neighbor - whom she then assassinates. Thus begins Egyptian director Yousry Nasrallah's adaptation of Lebanese writer Elias Khoury's epic novel of fifty years of Palestinian dispossession, exile, and resistance. The film follows the flight of Younes, his wife Nahila, and those around them from their village in northern Palestine to a refugee camp in Lebanon. Some vow to continue the struggle, most simply struggle to survive. Nasrallah, who co-wrote the screenplay with Khoury and Mohamed Soueid, unsparingly details the impact of the nakhba (disaster) on Palestinian life and society, while showing the refugees' often-contentious relationship with their reluctant Lebanese hosts.
Direction Yousry Nasrallah
Cast Rim Turkhi · Orwa Nyrabeya · Hiam Abbass · Hala Omran · Bassel Khayyat · Béatrice Dalle
Soundtrack Tamer Karawan
Screenplay Yousry Nasrallah · Muhammad Suwaid · Elias Khoury
Cinematography Samir Bahzan
Original title Bab el shams
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Not rated (FilmAffinity)
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