No Land in Sight

The immigrant experience is given a fresh perspective in Eiman Alkhalifa’s No Land in Sight.

Nadia (Rihab Karrar) and her daughter Rayan (Suhanda Abubaker) still live in their cramped apartment in Sudan with the news of hostilities relayed over the radio and ominous explosions in the distance. However, while Rayan is glued to her phone for the latest reports on the conflict, Nadia is growing increasingly worried that they have not heard from her son, Omar. Eiman Alkhalifa’s film uses this central tension to craft an impressively affecting short that portrays the immigrant experience from the point of view of those left behind – and the way that their hopes and dreams for the future become entwined with the fate of their loved ones. No Land in Sight screens in the Arab Short Film Competition at Amman having already won prizes elsewhere.

Of course, presenting the lives of those left in conflict zones is not an entirely new concept, but it is rare to see a film that so acutely captures the way in which the aspirations for the future – for a future – can be transferred to someone else. Initially, it unclear where precisely Omar is, the audience just knows that Nadia is fretful about not having hear from him for two days. She and Rayan shuffle about their small home, Tara Alkas’ cinematography and Rico Casazza’s sound design emphasizing their entrapment. When Omar finally calls (voiced by Mohamed Osman) the conversation is short and ambiguous. Over subsequent calls, it becomes clear that he is currently aboard a boat, making a crossing – presumably to Europe.

As the film burns through it’s brief running time, the apartment grows darker and darker – the explosions closer, Rayan asks her mother if they will be okay. Once the power goes out, the pair are lit by the light of the phone screen, Omar’s potential life in Europe becoming like a beacon of optimism in an increasingly dire situation. Eiman Alkhalifa directs with assurance, allowing fairly stripped back filmmaking to shine as the harrowing reality of both Omar’s and his family’s situations hoves menacingly into view.

Director, writer: Eiman Alkhalifa
Cast: Rihab Karrar, Suhanda Abubaker, Mohamed Osman
Producer: Zainab Abdelaziz
Cinematography: Tara Alkhas
Editing: Rogena Tarek
Music: Hamza Alsalim
Sound: Rico Casazza
Art direction: Maien Elhassan
Venue: Amman Film Festival (Arab Short Film Competition)
In Arabic
11 minutes

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