Roqia
Fall Grants 2022 - Production Stage
Yanis Koussim / Feature Narrative / Algeria, France, Qatar / 90 min / Original Language: Arabic / Interests: Horror, Drama, Thriller
Synopsis
In 1993, after a car crash leaves Ahmed with amnesia, he returns to his village, where nothing seems familiar to him, neither his wife nor his children. His youngest child, unsettled by Ahmed’s fully bandaged face, harbours a deep fear of him. Nightly, mysterious visitors haunt Ahmed. Who are these strange visitors who come to torment him, whispering litanies in an incomprehensible language? Why is the index finger of his right hand severed? And his neighbour, supposed to be his friend, but who makes him uncomfortable?
In the present day, an ageing Raqi (a Muslim exorcist) battles the grip of Alzheimer’s. His forgetfulness and erratic behaviour are a source of concern for his disciple, especially as the Raqi’s right hand—the one missing an index finger—begins to tremble ominously. As the city witnesses a surge in extreme violence and the possessed start speaking in an unknown language, the disciple fears the worst. While Ahmed, in the past, is more and more afraid of recovering his memory and discovering who he really is, the Raqi’s disciple, in the present, fears that the loss of his master will cause the return of an evil locked up many years ago.
Credits
- Director
- Yanis Koussim
- Screenwriter
- Yanis Koussim
- Producer
- Fares Ladjimi
- Production Company
- Supernova
About the Director
During his law studies, Yanis Koussim decided to pursue a career in filmmaking. After graduating and a brief period at la FEMIS, he directed several notable films: 'Le Plus Beau de Tous les Tangos du Monde', 'Khti', and 'Khouya'. 'Khouya' received accolades in Locarno, Amiens, and Corte, and was selected for the International Short Film Festival of Clermont-Ferrand. Yanis contributed to the documentary 'Un Été à Alger', premiered at Le Palais de Tokyo in Paris. A talented screenwriter, he wrote all his films and collaborated on the scripts of 'À Mon Âge Je Me Cache Encore Pour Fumer' by Rayhana Obermayer, and 'Algérie Mon Amour' by Lotfi Bouchouchi. Based between Algiers and Sétif, he founded Plateau19, a collective supporting independent cinema in Algeria, and is currently working on several feature film projects.