Passengers

synopsis

 A building on the outskirts of Tunis, built by Italians in 1905, was transformed into a special refuge during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eight residents of various origins have taken shelter here, living in isolation from their loved ones and the rest of the city, from which they are also culturally distant. The filmmakers capture their nomadic existence not only in interviews, revealing the peculiarities of these unique personalities, but also in poetically stylized sequences that give the house an almost magical dimension of a transitional, mystical space. The result is an impressionistic mosaic themed around loneliness and life within physical and symbolic barriers that become a source of melancholy, frustration, and uncertainty. At the same time, however, isolation and the breakdown of concepts of time and social norms become an opportunity to build islands of freedom and self-discovery that could never happen under normal social circumstances. 

“Let your mind concentrate on the body. Let your mind concentrate on emotions. Your mind goes to another place. Let it go. But try to be an observer. An observer in all situations.” 

biography

Rim Harrabi (born 1994) is a Tunisian artist. She participated in the collective documentary project Women in Dox (2021), and also works in video art. She is also the author of the programme Sarab, which presents alternative music from North Africa and the Middle East.

film details

director:	Rim Harrabi
producer:	Rim Harrabi

contact

Rim Harrabi
harrabi.riim@gmail.com