Zaatari Djinn

Catherine van Campen / Documentary / 2016 / 90'
IDFA, 2016 - Nomination Dutch Competition
The Arab Film Festival, 2017 - Audience Award
Thessaloniki International Film Festival, 2017 - Human Rights Competition
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, 2017 - NEW DOCS Competition
Montreal Int. Documentary Festival, 2017 - Intern. Feature Competition
Cleveland int. Film Festival, 2017 - Standing Up Competition
IDFA, 2016 - Nomination Dutch Competition
The Arab Film Festival, 2017 - Audience Award
Thessaloniki International Film Festival, 2017 - Human Rights Competition
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, 2017 - NEW DOCS Competition
Montreal Int. Documentary Festival, 2017 - Intern. Feature Competition
Cleveland int. Film Festival, 2017 - Standing Up Competition

In the middle of the desert, under the sweltering sun, an entirely new city has emerged. A city that consists for 80 percent of children. From the perspective of four children from different social backgrounds, we get to see and feel what it is like to grow up in this city; the refugee camp Zaatari. A place with little resources or prospects for improvement, but with space for dreams.

Ferras (10) is the silent, poor boy with an old soul. He is being haunted by the war. Ferras works hard and is hard to read, while Fatma (12), whose best friend is a rooster, is much more open and assertive.
Miryam (15) is nearly a woman. She strives for a pious life, but falls in love with Shakespeare. And then there is the rich Hammoudi (8), who can buy anything he likes; for him the camp is paradise.

Despite their situation the children show the ability to make something out of nothing; a wad of paper becomes a soccer ball, two insects a zoo. Zaatari Djinn is a rarely intimate movie about the resilience of children who view life a lot rosier than adults. Zaatari may be a place lacking history or future, it is also a home.

 

Partners

Broadcaster
KRO, NCRV
Development financed by
Netherlands Film Fund, Dutch Cultural Media Fund
Financed by
Netherlands Film Fund, Dutch Cultural Media Fund, Netherlands Film Production Incentive, CoBO

Credits

DOP
Jean Counet, Jefrim Rothuizen
Editor
Albert Markus
Sound
Mark Wessner
Sound design
Marc Lizier
Composer
Alex Simu

Festivals

A selection
IDFA, 2016
Cleveland int. Film Festival, 2017
Thessaloniki International Film Festival, 2017
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, 2017
Freiburg Film Forum, 2017
Royal Film Commission Jordan, 2017
FICDH, 2017
Marfici, 2017
Montreal Int. Documentary Festival, 2017
International Children Rights Festival, 2017

Awards / Nominations

A selection
IDFA, 2016 - Nomination Dutch Competition
The Arab Film Festival, 2017 - Audience Award
Thessaloniki International Film Festival, 2017 - Human Rights Competition
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, 2017 - NEW DOCS Competition
Montreal Int. Documentary Festival, 2017 - Intern. Feature Competition
Cleveland int. Film Festival, 2017 - Standing Up Competition

Trailer