‘Hemland’ is a short film directed by Sara Broos which tells the story of a young woman named Raghad Kanawahti, who escapes the war in Syria and ends up in the forest in Sweden.
Music is a way for her to survive and brings her back in dreams and memories to her homeland. Specially one song has followed her all her life; a song by the Norwegian popband A-ha. She listened to them during her childhood in Damaskus and now that song becomes a link between the past and the present and holds a new meaning. She has a dream to meet the singer Morten Harket, someone she has admired since she was a child. It’s a story about the power of music and the meaning of the word homeland. During the film, Morten visits Raghad in her home.
The movie premiered last April in Sweden, and has now been chosen as a featured Short Film during the Tribeca Film Festival this month. There were 72 selected short films out of 3,553 submissions.
The festival takes place from April 13-24. Tickets can be purchased here.