Ajit Rai

Many of the films screened in the competition section of the 4th Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, offer direct cinematic resistance to the brutal terrorism of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Middle Eastern countries. The films also portray the silence of the governments of these countries. Tunisia's Lutfi Achour's film 'Red Path' is based on such true events centered around terrorism.

Jeddah Diary -7

Last year, Tunisian female filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania's film 'Four Daughters' which exposed the brainwashing and sexual exploitation of innocent Muslim girls by the Islamic State poignantly became popular.

Tunisia's Lutfi Achour was awarded the Best Director Award ($10,000) and the Golden User Award for Best Film ($100,000) at the 4th Red Sea International Film Festival for his adventure film 'Red Path'.

Scene from Tunisian movie

While announcing the award, jury president Spike Lee, Bollywood's famous black filmmaker, said that 'Red Path' is an extraordinary film that highlights a big problem of our time. Lutfi Achhur said he was motivated to make this film after the Islamic State terrorists killed his second brother.

ISIS had killed his elder brother and to spread fear among the people, they had uploaded a video of his beheading on social media. In the video, the man was seen with his hands tied on his back and made to sit on his knees when he was beheaded.

Red Path' is an extraordinary journey of the wounded psyche of Ashraf, a 10-year-old boy from a shepherd community who grazes sheep in the mountainous regions of northern Tunisia.

Ashraf and his elder cousin brother Nazir are living a happy life with their family in a hilly village. They go to graze their sheep in the mountains and forests every day and have a lot of fun in the rivers. Both the brothers are unaware of the fact that the Islamic State has set up its camp in their mountains.

Cousins in the scene from te film Red Path

Nazir loves a girl from his village and they are set to marry soon. One day, when the brothers are taking a bath in the river, Islamic State fighters suddenly catch them and behead Ashraf's brother in front of him. To test their sharp weapon, they first behead a sheep.

They order Ashraf to put Nazir's severed head in a bag and deliver it to his family. It is a heartbreaking scene. Nazir's father is faced with the problem of how to perform his last rites as per religious customs until the rest of his body is found. His father along with the villagers sets out to search for Nazir's decapitated body in the forest with Asgraf's help.

Surprisingly, the local police and administration do not help these villagers. Ashraf's young mind is forever afflicted with trauma in this war zone. Nazir's girlfriend tries to console him. He often sees Nazir's ghost and talks to him.

The film portrays his mental journey effectively. In reality, the Islamic State terrorists also killed Ashraf. However, using cinematic liberty, and changed the story. In the film, Ashraf's father sends him to a boarding school in the city.

In the last scene we see Ashraf in a closed car with his luggage leaving for the city. Nazir's girlfriend runs after him and disappears in the dust flying from the car. Perhaps she wants to say something to Ashraf for the last time.

Scene from Iranian movie

Iraq's Uday Rashid's magical realist film 'Songs of Adam' won the Best Screenplay Award (10,000 dollars). Its screenplay is also written by Uday Rashid. Ten-year-old Adam watches his younger brother Ali bathe his grandfather's corpse before burying it.

It is 1946 in a remote village in Iraq. His cousin Iman is forbidden to see all this because she is a girl and Islam does not allow it. Seeing this scene, Adam has some spiritual experience and suddenly declares that he does not want to grow up.

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At that moment his age stops. The villagers believe that he is possessed by an evil spirit. He is locked in a room outside the village. Time keeps passing. In 1964, his father is killed in a shootout between the Islamic State and the army. The entire film is a journey through the murky history of Iraq through the spiritual eyes of a ten-year-old child, Adam.