Avant il n'y avait rien

Yvann Yagchi
Switzerland | 2024 | 70 min
Swiss Premiere
Languages : French, Arabic, English
Subtitles : English, French

Swiss filmmaker of Palestinian origin Yvann Yagchi is puzzled when one of his childhood friends moves to an Israeli settlement in the West Bank. He travels to Palestine for the first time in an effort to understand and reconnect with his roots. The film tells the story of a painful, never ending past: that of the filmmaker’s family, and of the Palestinian people.

When one of his childhood friends moves to an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, the Swiss filmmaker of Palestinian origin Yvann Yagchi is puzzled. He travels to Palestine for the first time in an effort to understand and reconnect with his roots. Through the lens of his camera, he bears witness to the brutality of the settlements, both as a visitor and as an infiltrator in this disputed territory. He soon becomes persona non grata; he can no longer film, no longer use the footage, and no longer talk to his former friend. In order to erase what cannot be shown and to evoke what is no longer there, he tackles these vagaries by using animation. While filming a friendship that has not withstood the political situation, the filmmaker revisits his family history in Palestine, while composing a sincere letter to his friend. Avant il n’y avait rien is an important artistic exploration that gives voice to memory and identity in a context marked by amnesia and violence, telling the story of a painful, never ending past: that of the filmmaker’s family, and of the Palestinian people.
Alice Riva

Avant il n'y avait rien, 2024
Le masque, 2022
Acta non verba, 2017