Kash Kash - Without Feathers We Can't Live
Ajyal Competition - Ajyal Film Festival 2022
Lea Najjar / Germany, Lebanon, Qatar / 2022 / 90 min / Colour / Unknown / In / subtitles
Themes :
Rated: 
Mature subject matter. Not suitable for minors. Individuals under the age of 18 are not admitted into cinemas.
Description
The filmmaker’s hometown, Beirut, is torn apart by a corrupt political elite, anti-government protests, and one of the biggest explosions of the 21st century. But above the city’s roofs soars an unexpected bearer of hope—the pigeon game of chance “Kash Hamam”. Every evening, in the golden sun above the labyrinth streets, the sky populates, and all over the city swarms of birds fly out of their cages. Their flight follows the choreography of an ancient tradition. A game allegedly invented by embattled kings in the hope of saving their soldiers from the folly of war.
The rules are simple, with each player circling their flock in the hope of luring competing players’ pigeons to join and land back on their roof for them to capture. But the game and its metaphor are far more complex. Despite the rising inflation and sky-high cost of bird food, dedicated players still lovingly raise, feed, and adorn their pigeons with colourful anklets. In a city facing unprecedented modern challenges, its people still manage to find solace through their long-held traditions in this moving portrait of hope in the face of despair.
Director
Lea Najjar
Lea Najjar, born in 1994 in Vienna, grew up in Beirut and graduated high school from the City International School in Beirut. She then completed her freshman degree at the American University of Beirut (AUB) in 2013. During her school years, she worked as a press photographer. In 2014 she studied at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg and finished her diploma in documentary directing with her first feature film ‘Kash Kash’. ‘Kash Kash’ celebrated its world premiere at the CPH: DOX in Copenhagen, where it won the NEXT:WAVE Competition for best debut and emerging filmmaker from the international scene.
Credits
- Screenwriter
- Lea Najjar, Alia Haju
- Producer
- Matthias Drescher
- Cinematographer
- Jonas Schneider
- Editor
- Tobias Wilhelmer