La terre promise
Francis Reusser
Switzerland | 2014 | 85 min
World premiere
Languages : French, English, Arabic
Subtitles : French, English
55 students in the choir of the Saint-Michel high school in Fribourg travel to Palestine for a series of concerts, discovering the problems caused by occupation. The words, filled with poetry provided in an Arabic voiceover, combined with the perspective of these young Swiss students, punctuate their encounters and concerts, and accompany the tears and smiles that result from this extraordinary life experience.
Philippe Savoy, Director of the Choir of the collège Saint-Michel in Fribourg, is preparing to accompany 55 students to Palestine. The aim of the trip is to take these young voices to a land that is as tormented as it is fascinating. The visits to the towns of Bethlehem, Ramallah, Jerusalem and Hebron are an opportunity for the young students – and the spectator too – to get a glimpse of the hard reality of check points, walls, colonies, segregation and Palestinian refugee camps. Landscapes burnt by the sun and by time answer the immeasurable beauty, steeped in History and sacredness. An Arabic voiceover filled with poetry, the perspective of these young Swiss students and the stance of the director all provide points of view that guide the spectator through this inevitably unforgettable journey of initiation. By choosing to be a work of group education, this documentary endeavours to return a glimmer of hope for the future, and to offer both sublime and sacred musical notes.
Manuela Ruggeri
pscontact@bluewin.ch
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