Norsk filminstitutt

Feature film The Tower
(Tårnet)

Beirut, Lebanon, Today.  

Wardi, an eleven-year-old Palestinian girl, lives with her whole family in the refugee camp where she was born. Her beloved great-grandfather Sidi was one of the first people to settle in the camp after being chased from his home back in 1948. The day Sidi gives her the key to his old house back in Galilea, she fears he may have lost hope of someday going home. As she searches for Sidi’s lost hope around the camp, she will collect her family’s testimonies, from one generation to the next.  

The Tower is an animation feature film, a deeply emotional fiction based on true stories of Palestinian refugees in a Lebanese Camp. The film tells the story of Wardi (11) and her family. It's a story about the unbreakable bond between Wardi and her great-grandfather, and the sacrifice that he makes for her to have chance for a decent life. The love that family members share for each other and the way they keep hope alive is stronger than the difficulty of life in a refugee camp. 

The film is based on interviews with Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.

Production and distribution

Production Year:
2018
Production country:
Norway
Co production country:
Sweden
France
Release date (national):
2018-11-02
Production company:
Tenk.tv AS
Co production company:
Les Contes Modernes
Cinenic Film ab
Producer:
Frode Søbstad
Trygve Allister Diesen
Co producer:
Annika Hellstrøm
Patrice Nezan
Sales agent:
Jour2fête

Director

  • Mats Grorud

    Mats Grorud (b. 1976) holds a Bachelors Degree in animation and media sciences from Volda University College, and has also studied animation at the Communication University of China in Beijing, and at The Animation Workshop in Brenderup, Denmark. He has previously worked with several other noted animation directors, such as Kaja Wright Polmar and Pjotr Sapegin, and now runs his own production company, Nubbsjangs Productions, making his own films, as well as commissioned work for others.

    Mats Grorud

Cast

Wardi:
Romina Adl Kasravi
Sidi and Sidi middle aged:
Michalis Koutsogiannakis
Grandpa Lufti:
Mohammed Bakri
Aunt Hanan, Hanan young:
Najila Said
Pigeon boy and Man in Café:
Morad Hassan
Mother Lina:
Aissa MAIGA
Sister Yasar:
Hana Chamoun
"Uncle" Yehia, and Father Khaled:
Kardo Razzazi

Awards

2018:
Chicago International Children's Film Festival
Liv Ullmann Peace Prize
Professional jury: 2nd prize Best Animated Feature
2019:
Skip City International D-Cinema Festival
Grand Prize
Audience Award
2019:
Anibar Animation Festival
Best Feature Film
2019:
Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Film Festival
Grand Prize

Festivals

2018:
Annecy International Animation Film Festival
2018:
Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival
2018:
Love & Anarchy - Helsinki International Film Festival
2018:
BIFF - Bergen International Film Festival
2018:
Busan International Film Festival
2018:
Palestine Cinema Days
2018:
Alice in the City
2018:
Juniorfest, Horsovsky Tyn
2018:
Fredrikstad Animation Festival
2018:
Chicago International Children's Film Festival
2018:
Thessaloniki International Film Festival
2018:
Festival Cine Sevilla
2018:
Cork International Film Festival
2018:
My First Festival
2018:
London Palestine Film Festival
2018:
Cairo International Film Festival
2018:
Cinemana, Nazareth
2018:
Marrakech International Film Festival
2018:
Festival Cinéma Méditerranéen Bruxelles
2018:
48 mm Film Festival Zochrot
2019:
Muestra de Cine Social y Derechos Humanos
2019:
Black Movie Film Festival Geneva
2019:
Animac - International Animation Film Festival of Catalonia
2019:
Festival Anima - Brussels International Animation Film Festival
2019:
Luxembourg City Film Festival
2019:
Movies That Matter
2019:
Haifa Independent Film Festival
2019:
Cleveland International Film Festival
2019:
ALFILM Arab Filmfestival Berlin
2019:
Human Rights Film Festival Donostia - San Sebastian
2019:
BLON Animation and Games Film Festival
2019:
Anifilm - International Festival of Animated Films
2019:
Skip City International D-Cinema Festival
2019:
Anibar Animation Festival
2019:
Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Film Festival
2019:
cph:pix - BUSTER

Crew

Director:
Mats Grorud
Screenplay:
Mats Grorud
ProductionDesigner:
Rui Tenreiro
First assistant director:
Pierre-Luc Granjon
Hefang Wei
Composer:
Nathanaël BERGÈSE
Editor:
Silje Nordseth
Karsten Meinich
Anders Bergland
Margrete Vinnem

Technical information

Genre:
Animation
Format:
DCP 2k
Colour:
Colour
Length in min's:
76'
Subtitles:
English

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