Yesterday the Eye Didn't Sleep © Atata & Rakan Mayasi
Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep, as seen by Rakan Mayasi
Plaines du Sud Liban et mariage forcé sont au cœur du premier long métrage de Rakan Mayasi. Le réalisateur palestinien nous emmène sur les pas de Yasser, à la recherche de sa cousine disparue lorsqu’il renverse, par accident, un membre d’un clan rival. La solution pour éviter l’embrasement du village : offrir ses soeurs en monnaie d’échange pour la paix. Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep prolonge un thème de société déjà évoqué dans Trumpets in the Sky, court métrage du cinéaste sorti en 2021.
How did this project come about?
The film is an homage to my grandmother, who was forced to get married at the age of 14. Because I had a special connection with her, I grew up listening to her story many times and eventually found my own interpretation of it within the context of this film. She passed away three months before we began filming. The second reason is my constant search for alternative ways of making films. As with Sky in the Trumpets, my approach here was to create a film with a modest budget, without a traditionally formatted script, without heavy film machinery, with a small crew, and a cast composed of non-professionals.
What was the atmosphere on set?
The shooting schedule was imposed by availability constraints and took place during a ceasefire in Lebanon. We were filming near the Syrian border, separated only by a mountain, and we could still hear fighter jets and explosions in the background. It was also the holy month of Ramadan, during which the entire cast was fasting and observing its rituals. This required us to adapt to their schedule, which could sometimes be challenging. Despite this, the atmosphere was beautiful.
What was the atmosphere on set?
The shooting schedule was imposed by availability constraints and took place during a ceasefire in Lebanon. We were filming near the Syrian border, separated only by a mountain, and we could still hear fighter jets and explosions in the background. It was also the holy month of Ramadan, during which the entire cast was fasting and observing its rituals. This required us to adapt to their schedule, which could sometimes be challenging. Despite this, the atmosphere was beautiful.
What would you like the audience to take away from your film?
This is a slow film, and its pacing invites the audience into a somewhat hypnotic experience. It encourages a deep connection with the characters and their environment as the narrative unfolds. It is also a poetic film, where metaphor and mythology coexist. I would like the audience to let go of expectations, immerse themselves in this 100-minute journey, empathize with the characters, and fully experience this universe.
What inspired you to become a filmmaker?
I have wanted to be a filmmaker since I was seven years old. The idea of creating images was—and still is—mesmerizing to me. Even today, I experience that same sense of wonder, much like a child. After graduating from film school in Lebanon, I went to South Korea in 2010 and did a workshop mentored by Abbas Kiarostami, who taught us to look deeper into the meaning of ‘film truth’, and whose work I love. And more recently, I did a workshop with the late Béla Tarr in Budapest, which gave me training on making films unconventionally.
Can you tell us about your next project?
My second feature film is a dark comedy that questions the notion of citizenship. The film is titled The Passeport, and the script has already been written. In brief, it tells the story of a man from Gaza who runs a biscuit factory and plans to travel to Canada to resolve a long-standing conflict with his brother. However, he dies of natural causes while in transit on a flight through Belgrade, where his body becomes stranded. Serbian authorities face complications in repatriating him, as he left Egypt illegally and cannot be buried in Serbia.
