Red Path
Qumra Screenings - Qumra 2025
Lotfi Achour / Tunisia, France, Belgium, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Qatar / 2024 / 100 min / Colour / DCP / In Arabic / English subtitles
Themes: Based on a True Story, Drama, Fantasy, Social Issues
Rated: 
Mature subject matter. Not suitable for minors. Individuals under the age of 18 are not admitted into cinemas.
Dates And Timings
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Wed, Apr 9 - 7:30 PM
Museum of Islamic Art - Auditorium- Fee: 35 QAR
Description
In the ruggedly beautiful, yet isolated arcadian landscape of central Tunisia, 14-year-old Ashraf's life is suddenly shattered when a group brutally murders his cousin and forces him to carry a horrific message back to his family. As he struggles to process his internal trauma, he finds himself completely abandoned externally by the authorities and the very people who should protect him. Alone in his grief, Ashraf is left to make sense of a world that offers neither justice nor solace—only silence. Inspired by true events, 'Red Path' is a haunting exploration of trauma, resilience, and survival.
Director Lotfi Achour crafts a deeply intimate and empathetic portrait of a boy while holding a more unmitigated mirror to wider society, capturing the dissonance between a child's psychological turmoil and the broader realities of a fractured nation. Through visually striking cinematography and a measured, almost poetic approach, the film immerses audiences in Ashraf's wounded psyche, blurring the lines between painful recollection and stark reality. The film deftly examines the systemic neglect that has left entire communities to fend for themselves while also highlighting the quiet strength of those who are forced to endure. Balancing unflinching realism with dreamlike abstraction, 'Red Path' is both a chilling and profoundly moving meditation on loss, memory, and the human spirit's ability to withstand even the darkest of circumstances.
Director
Lotfi Achour
Lotfi Achour is a Tunis-born author, director, and producer. After completing his baccalauréat, he studied economics at the Faculty of Law and Economics in Tunis before a personal tragedy led him to pursue a career in the arts. At 21, he began his training at the Grenoble Conservatory and later studied theatre and cinema at the Sorbonne Institute of Theatrical Studies. Achour has directed over 25 theatrical productions, with his work staged internationally, including a collaboration with the Royal Shakespeare Company for the London 2012 Olympic Games. His transition into cinema saw him directing several acclaimed short films, including ‘Ordyure’ (2006), ‘Père’ (2014), and ‘Angle Mort’ (2022). His short ‘La Laine Sur Le Dos’ (Cannes 2016) received numerous awards, further cementing his reputation as a filmmaker unafraid to tackle complex social issues. His feature debut, ‘Burning Hope’ (2016), explored the stories of two young women in a post-revolution Tunisia. With ‘Red Path’ (2024), Achour offers a visually arresting and emotionally profound examination of trauma and resilience.
Credits
- Screenwriter
- Lotfi Achour, Natacha de Pontcharra, Doria Achour, Sylvain Cattenoy
- Producer
- Lotfi Achour, Anissa Daoud, Sébastien Hussenot
- Cinematographer
- Wojciech Staron
- Editor
- Ewin Ryckaert, Malek Chatta
- Cast
- Ali Helali, Yassine Samouni, Wided Dabebi, Jemii Lamari, Latifa Gafsi, Salha Nasraoui, Younes Naouar