Who Is Still Alive

While much of the fall festival chatter is bound to revolve around The Voice of Hind Rajab, the topic of Gaza is also present in a far lower-profile, but no less worthy project. First screened in Venice’s Giornate degli Autori sidebar, Who Is Still Alive (Qui vit encore) is the third feature-length documentary Nicolas Wadimoff has devoted to the subject, one he first began exploring via his short films in 1992. And while the thematic relevance is there, it’s also possible the less audience-friendly approach will hinder the film’s chances of traveling beyond the independent circuit.

In addition to dealing with the subject directly (with his previous documentaries playing at the Berlinale in 2010 and Locarno in 2018), Wadimoff has also supported Palestinian filmmakers via his production company Akka Films. It is no surprise, then, he chose to continue exploring these territories to mark his return behind the camera after a teaching stint in Geneva, where he was in charge of the Film department at HEAD, the local art and design school, from 2019 to 2023.

Originally meant to be filmed in the director’s native Switzerland, the project had to be relocated to South Africa because, as per the opening text, it’s one of the few countries in the world where Palestinians from Gaza are granted entry without a visa. Nine refugees who managed to escape the war-torn region gather together in a room where white paint is applied on a black floor to crudely outline Gaza, its streets and neighborhoods, similar to black box theater or Lars von Trier’s films Dogville and Manderlay.

Within this abstract space representing a phantom zone and the lives of people who are akin to ghosts, the nine people – their names are Jawdat Khoudari, Mahmoud Jouda, Adel Altaweel, Haneen Harara, Malak Khadra, Hanaa Eleiwa, Firaz Elshrafi, Eman Shanan and Ghada Alabadla – convene to share their stories. They talk about their past lives, their daily routines, what they’ve lost in recent months, how they wish for their existence to not slip into oblivion. For they, per the title, are still alive (or more correctly, as in the French moniker, living), and want to make sure that doesn’t go unnoticed.

The aesthetic choice made by Wadimoff, with cinematographers Leandro Monti and Camille Cottagnoud conveying the paradox of sincere stories told against a deliberately fake background, is inevitably an acquired taste, and may be off-putting to some. But as we get further into the film’s two-hour running time, which never feels punishing despite the grim subject matter, the heart of the matter emerges beyond the artifice, in a manner that is both intellectually and emotionally impactful.

There’s no footage from Gaza, but the testimony is just as relevant and powerful, delivered within a space that is reflective of the suspended state the people of the region find themselves in, both at home and internationally. Perpetually in flux, their conversations are a stark, compelling reminder of the need to reconnect with our humanity even under the most inhumane circumstances.

Director & Screenwriter: Nicolas Wadimoff
Cast: Jawdat Khoudari, Mahmoud Jouda, Adel Altaweel, Haneen Harara, Malak Khadra, Hanaa Eleiwa, Firaz Elshrafi, Eman Shanan, Ghada Alabadla
Producers: Ketsia Stocker, Nicolas Wadimoff, Nadia Turincev, Omar El Kadi, Ossama Bawardi, May Jabareen
Cinematography: Leandro Monti, Camille Cottagnoud
Music: Dom La Nena
Sound: Carlos Ibanes Diaz, Vuk Vukmanovic, Niels Barletta
Production companies: Akka Films, Easy Riders Films, Philistine Films, RTS Radio Télévision Suisse
World sales: Akka Films
Venue: Venice Film Festival (Giornate degli Autori)
In Arabic
113 minutes