Abouna is a 2003

2003 in film

The year 2003 in film involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Pokémon Heroes, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,...

 award winning film

Film

A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...

 by Chad

Chad

Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...

ian director Mahamat Saleh Haroun

Mahamat Saleh Haroun

Mahamat-Saleh Haroun is a film director from Chad who has lived in France since 1982. He made his first feature film, Bye Bye Africa, in 1999. His second feature, Abouna, won best cinematography award at FESPACO, while his third, Daratt, won the Grand Special Jury Prize at the 63rd Venice...

. It was filmed on location in Gaoui

Gaoui

Gaoui is a village in Chad, lying 10km north east of N'Djamena. It is said to have been the capital of the Sao civilisation and is now known for its traditional architecture and pottery manufacture. It is also home to a museum.The 2003 film Abouna was partly filmed in the village....

 and N'Djamena

N'Djamena

N'Djamena is the capital and largest city of Chad. A port on the Chari River, near the confluence with the Logone River, it directly faces the Cameroonian town of Kousséri, to which the city is connected by a bridge. It is also a special statute region, divided in 10 arrondissements. It is a...

, Chad.

Plot synopsis

Two boys (Moussa & Aguid) awake one morning to find that their father has abandoned their family. Shocked, they begin to misbehave. While surreptitiously watching a movie, they think they see their father speaking to them and steal the film to examine the frames. Their mother (Haroun) eventually despairs and sends them to Koranic school. Unhappy, they plan their escape until the eldest boy falls in love with a deaf girl (Khalil).

Casting and production

Ahidjo Mahamat Moussa, who played the 15-year old Tahir, was offered a choice of boys to play his younger brother Amine. He eventually chose eight-year old Hamza Moctar Aguid because he felt that Aguid could really be his brother.

After each day for shooting, film was sent 2600 miles to Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

 for processing. Only after waiting several days, when word came back that there were no problems, would shooting resume.

Awards

The film won the following awards:

• 2002 Hong Kong International Film Festival
  Hong Kong International Film Festival
  The Hong Kong International Film Festival is a platform for filmmakers, film professionals and filmgoers from all over the world to launch and experience new film work. There are seminars, conferences, exhibitions, and parties celebrating the festival community...
  
  : Firebird Award - Special Mention
• 2002 Kerala International Film Festival: FIPRESCI Prize and Golden Crow Pheasant
• 2003 Ouagadougou Panafrican Film and Television Festival: Baobab Seed Award, Best Cinematography, INALCO Award and UNICEF Award for Childhood