Orient Adagio

Directed by Maha Haj

Yazan is a Palestinian filmmaker, born and raised in a Syrian refugee camp. When he gets a residency in Paris to write his first feature, it’s a dream come true at the worst time: he is grieving his grandmother’s death in Aleppo, crushed by self-doubt, and heartbroken. Longing to make his first film, he finds himself emotionally blocked, haunted by trauma and survivor’s guilt. Alone in this beautiful city, pressured to prove himself, he spirals between inspiration and despair. In a desperate attempt to reconnect, he invites fellow international filmmakers from the residency to read his script. What begins as a creative exercise turns into a chaotic, funny, and revealing encounter.