The Valley of Tears (film)

The Valley of Tears (French: La Vallée des larmes) is a Quebec film produced, written and directed by Maryanne Zéhil, starring Nathalie Coupal, Joseph Antaki, Nathalie Mallette, Sophie Cadieux, Henri Chassé, Wafa Tarabey, Layla Hakim and Janine Sutto. It is Zehil's second full-length feature film.

The Valley of Tears
FrenchLa Vallée des larmes
Directed byMaryanne Zéhil
Written byMaryanne Zehil
Produced byMaryanne Zehil
Starring
CinematographyPierre Mignot
Edited byLorraine Dufour
Music byNathalie Coupal
Production
company
Mia Productions
Distributed byLes Films Seville
Release date
  • 2012 (2012)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguageFrench

Plot

The film recounts the 1982 massacres in the Palestinian refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila, Lebanon. Marie, a Montreal publisher, receives a written testimony from a man named Ali, who experienced the events firsthand. Marie is unaware that Joseph, a Lebanese employee of the publishing house, is the real author of the testimony. One day, Joseph goes missing.[1][2]

Cast
  • Nathalie Coupal as Marie Simard
  • Joseph Antaki as Joseph/Ali
  • Nathalie Mallette as Josée Simard
  • Janine Sutto as Simone Simard
  • Sophie Cadieux as Isabelle
  • Henri Chassé as Gilles
  • Wafa Tarabey as Oum Omar
  • Layla Hakim as Sister Gabrielle
  • Walid El Alayli as Issa
  • Yara Farès as Girl
  • Julien Farhat as Tony
  • Robert Issa as Miled
  • Ziad Karam as Ali

Inspiration

Setting her story amidst the unpunished genocide of the 1982 massacres, Zehil raises the question of the responsibility of mothers in sending their sons to their deaths. Her film suggests that if Arab and Israeli mothers were held partly accountable, they might stop passing their thirst for revenge on to their children. To evoke the horrors of this setting, Zehil drew heavily on her experience working as a journalist in her native country of Lebanon.[3][4]

Festivals
  • Bengaluru International Film Festival, India 2012 (World Cinema)
  • Chennai International Film Festival, India 2012 (World Cinema)
  • Dubaï International Film Festival, United Arab Emirates 2012 (Arabian Nights)
  • World premiere at Shanghai International Film Festival, China 2012
  • Cairo International Film Festival, Egypt 2012 (Human Rights)[5]
  • Best Fiction Award at the 3rd Greenpoint Film Festival, New York 2013
  • Presented at the Beirut International Film Festival, Lebanon 2013 (Panorama section)[6]
  • Cleveland International Film Festival, USA 2013[7]
  • Fajr International Film Festival, Iran 2014[8]

References
  1. QMI, Nathalie Boudreau / Agence. "La Vallée des larmes au Festival international des films de Dubaï". Le Journal de Montréal. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  2. "'La vallée des larmes' : Le massacre de Sabra et Chatila au cinéma". AgendaCulturel. October 7, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  3. Gignac, Martin (August 30, 2012). "La vallée des larmes: L'importance de continuer". Journal Métro (in French). Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  4. "Les roses blanches du pardon | L'aut'journal". lautjournal.info. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  5. Info-Culture (November 22, 2012). "La Vallée des larmes présenté dans plusieurs festivals" (in French). Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  6. "La vallée des larmes présenté à Beyrouth". La Presse (in French). October 1, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  7. DeMarco, Laura; Dealer, The Plain (April 5, 2013). "'The Valley of Tears': Cleveland International Film Festival review". cleveland. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  8. "La vallée des larmes continue sa tournée des festivals". Films du Québec (in French). Retrieved July 28, 2021.
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