A press conference for the Lebanon–Canada co-production “Valley of Exile,” directed by Anna Fahr, took place on Friday, 28 November at Honar Shahr Aftab Cineplex in Shiraz. The film, competing in the Broken Olive section of the 43rd Fajr International Film Festival, follows two sisters who flee war-torn Damascus to Lebanon. Rima, pregnant, hopes to rebuild her life with her husband, while her sister Nour searches for their missing brother.
The production brings together an international cast including Maria Hassan, Hala Hosni, Michel Hourani, Najwa Kandakji, and Joy Hallak. Anna Fahr, who also co-produced the film with Lara Abou Saifan, crafted the narrative with a focus on the experiences of women affected by war and displacement.
In her absence, Lara Abou Saifan read a letter from Anna Fahr to the festival audience. Fahr reflected on her personal connection to the story, explaining that although the film is in Arabic, she wanted to pay tribute to her Iranian roots through architectural choices and filming locations. The tent of Haifa in the film, for example, reflects Iranian architectural influences. Fahr also cited inspiration from the works of Iranian filmmakers Abbas Kiarostami, Asghar Farhadi, Rakhshān Banietemad, and Bahram Beyzai. She expressed pride and gratitude that the film was being shown to Iranian audiences and thanked the festival organizers for making it possible.
Abou Saifan shared insights into the origins and development of the film. She explained that having lived in Lebanon for ten years and being married to a Lebanese, she witnessed the influx of Syrian families fleeing war after the revolution in Syria. “I saw that many Syrian families migrated to Lebanon because it was somewhat safer,” she said. “Through two documentaries I made about Syrian mothers, I realized that people had been displaced by war and that there were institutions supporting them, especially women. This motivated me to highlight the plight of displaced families. After completing my master’s degree in Canada, I returned to Lebanon and made this film in hopes that these stories would be seen.”
Abou Saifan emphasized that the story of the two sisters at the heart of the film was rooted in real-life experiences. “I am confident that Anna, during all the years she spent in Lebanon, found the story of these two sisters from real events, although she also conducted research. The film primarily focuses on showing the displacement of women, which is why the main subjects are women. There is a character in the film who allows the two sisters to take refuge in her tent, and this is entirely real. She herself experienced two migrations and continued to shelter and help women in her tent,” Abou Saifan added.
She also discussed the practical adjustments made for filming. “In order to shoot the film in Lebanon, we slightly changed the locations and adapted the narrative to the Lebanese context,” she explained. Abou Saifan described the conditions during production in 2021, noting that Lebanon was not an active war zone at that time. “Although there is conflict in Lebanon, people there do not see themselves as war-affected because it has become part of their daily routine. When we filmed there, we were not under bombardment, though there were inherent risks for the crew. Directing and producing this film under these circumstances was not particularly groundbreaking, especially as most of our crew were women. Moreover, there are women in Lebanon and Syria who work in these areas, so it was neither dangerous nor unusual,” she said.
Abou Saifan concluded by highlighting the close collaboration between herself and the director. “Anna and I did not have separate roles; we worked together throughout the project, co-writing and casting. Securing the budget was challenging, but together we managed it. I believe the vision was fully realized, and I am satisfied with the result,” she said.
The 43rd Fajr International Film Festival continues in Shiraz, presenting a diverse lineup of films, press conferences, and cultural events that unite filmmakers, critics, and audiences from across the globe.
