Yunan by Ameer Fakher Eldin tells the story of an Arab writer in exile (Georges Khabbaz) who travels to a remote island in Germany to commit suicide. But the mysterious Valeska (Fassbinder’s muse Hanna Schygulla) gradually brings him back to life with small gestures and kind words. Shot mainly in Germany, Yunan includes a few days of filming in Gravina in Puglia, Minervino Murge, Poggiorsini and Spinazzola, for the scenes that refer to his ‘home’ of origin.
“I wanted a place that was like a ‘no-man’s land’” said the director about the Italian locations. “A place that is not built up, where there are only valleys that leave one in a suspended state. After a lot of research, we found this beautiful place in Puglia, a place that seems like a dream, just like it is in the film. Also, I wanted something warm, a temperature that reminded me of home".
The remote island where the protagonist goes to isolate himself from the world is part of the Hallingen group in the North German Sea, these small islands are often swallowed by the sea when the tide is at its height, to then re-emerge. "It was not just a setting”, says the director, “it’s a perfect metaphor for the rhythm of the story: submersion, loss and return. What disappears is not gone forever, but when it returns it is not unchanged.”
Yunan is a German- Canadian-French- Italian-Palestinian-Jordanian co-production, produced for Italy by Intramovies. Grants received included a contribution from the Apulia Film Fund and € 150,000 from the Minority Co-Production Call (year 2024) of the General Directorate of Cinema and Audiovisual of the MiC.
Yunan by Ameer Fakher Eldin tells the story of an Arab writer in exile (Georges Khabbaz) who travels to a remote island in Germany to commit suicide. But the mysterious Valeska (Fassbinder’s muse Hanna Schygulla) gradually brings him back to life with small gestures and kind words. Shot mainly in Germany, Yunan includes a few days of filming in Gravina in Puglia, Minervino Murge, Poggiorsini and Spinazzola, for the scenes that refer to his ‘home’ of origin.
“I wanted a place that was like a ‘no-man’s land’” said the director about the Italian locations. “A place that is not built up, where there are only valleys that leave one in a suspended state. After a lot of research, we found this beautiful place in Puglia, a place that seems like a dream, just like it is in the film. Also, I wanted something warm, a temperature that reminded me of home".
The remote island where the protagonist goes to isolate himself from the world is part of the Hallingen group in the North German Sea, these small islands are often swallowed by the sea when the tide is at its height, to then re-emerge. "It was not just a setting”, says the director, “it’s a perfect metaphor for the rhythm of the story: submersion, loss and return. What disappears is not gone forever, but when it returns it is not unchanged.”
Yunan is a German- Canadian-French- Italian-Palestinian-Jordanian co-production, produced for Italy by Intramovies. Grants received included a contribution from the Apulia Film Fund and € 150,000 from the Minority Co-Production Call (year 2024) of the General Directorate of Cinema and Audiovisual of the MiC.
Red Balloon Film, Microclimat Films, Intramovies, Fresco Films, Metafora Production, Tabi360
An Arab writer in exile travels to a remote island in Germany to commit suicide. There he meets an old lady who reawakens his desire for life. Will he give life a second chance?
