The Interpreter

In The Interpreter, Amjad, a Syrian refugee in the United Kingdom, revisits his journey to becoming an interpreter, returning to the very heart of the system under which he was interrogated. A cold room, two wooden chairs; a third chair sits between them. In this minimalist space, the film simmers with visual and narrative ideas that question frameworks, neutrality and grey areas. Using interviews with asylum seekers, educational materials and re-enactments, filmmaker Mohamad Hafeda dissects and juxtaposes the rules for becoming a “good interpreter” and a “good citizen”. Between the authorities and a displaced person, what is really being interpreted? A word, an expectation, a projection? How to be a voice without being your own? The interpreter can act as both a link and an obstacle. A striking reflection on free will and our humanity, in which we are sometimes expected to be machines.

Anne Delseth

The Interpreter, 2026
The Time While Waiting, 2022
Sewing Borders, 2018