Director Meryam Joobeur’s Brotherhood, produced by Maria Gracia Turgeon of Midi La Nuit & Cinétéléfilms, is nominated in the Live Action Short Film category. The short, which runs 25 minutes, tells the story of a rural Tunisian father, whose loyalty is torn between his family and his rigid moral principles.
Mohamed is shaken and suspicious when his estranged eldest son Malek returns home from Syria with a young wife. The complex reunion opens past wounds and leads to tragic consequences.
Joobeur used her multicultural background — Tunisian, American and Quebecer — to provide perspective and to explore the ramifications of the Islamic State on even the most remote areas of the world. Maria Gracia Turgeon produced the short, in association with producer Annick Blanc through their company Midi La Nuit.
According to Joobeur, the project was captured on an Arri Alexa Mini in ProRes 3.2K with a single 50mm Sigma cine prime lens. The editing was a collaboration between the director and Montreal-based editor Anouk Deschênes. Final mixing was performed by Theo Porcet (Cult Nation) at Mels Studios. Martin Gaumond at Outpost handled the color grade. The online was performed by Simon Allard, also at Outpost.
The short is presented in Arabic with English subtitles.