PODCAST | Angelo Acerbi  interviews Amr Garal, director of the film The Burdened.

To listen to the interview, click on the ► icon on the right, just above the picture

Amr Garal the director of The Burdened, in the Panorama section of the Berlinale73, talks about the difficulties of shooting the fim in contemporary Yemen and the unfortunate common situation which amny families find themselves in as told by his film. The civil war has erased all culture and films and theatre and now little by little people like Amr try to re-start.

The Burdened: Isra’a lives with her husband Ahmed and their three children in the old port city of Aden in southern Yemen. Their everyday lives are shaped by the civil war – which means military checks in the streets, frequent power cuts, and having to haul water from the street to the kitchen. Ahmed used to work for television, but after several salary cheques were not paid, he is now earning his money as a driver. When Isra’a unexpectedly becomes pregnant, the couple faces a crisis. They both know they cannot afford a fourth child: they are about to move to a cheaper flat and the children’s school fees are due. Together they decide on an abortion. An odyssey begins in which a doctor friend becomes a key figure. A feature film from Yemen is a great rarity. Here, director Amr Gamal has chosen to fictionalise a real-life story that occurred within his circle of friends. Set against the backdrop of one of the world’s most devastating civil wars, this sensitive family drama provides us with a glimpse into the society of a country largely unknown beyond its borders.

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