Based on true events, LOSS sheds light on an unseen suffering

LOSS — an Egyptian-Syrian short film directed by Rami Al-Kassab, based on

true events— is set to have its world premiere at the 35th edition of Tunisia’s

esteemed Carthage Film Festival.

It follows a group of migrants as they journey into Egypt on the back of a

pickup truck. En route, in the middle of the desert, they suffer a significant and

harrowing loss.

The price paid for survival is often a high one, as the victims of war and

displacement know all too well.

Al-Kassab sheds light on the true story of Ghina, a young mother who suffered

an unfathomable loss on her journey seeking refuge through Egypt.

Together, with a group of Syrian refugees, they pay two smugglers to board

the back of a truck and embark on a perilous journey that takes them across

the desert.

The actors— specifically Yara Kassem who plays the mother— do a

commendable job at conveying the traumatic effects of displacement, giving

off a hollow countenance coupled with a silence that tells a thousand words.

In a sheer 10 minutes, the film succinctly expresses the brutal treatment faced

by migrants, and the often-overlooked atrocities they must contend with.

There are no cameras in the desert, and no reporters to tell their plight.

Oftentimes, if a story does get out, it is either overlooked or outright censored

due to media bias; subsequently, documentation becomes a fleeting bid for

justice.

In this context, cinema — and art more broadly — has the unique ability to tell

a compelling story, raise awareness, and deeply move its audience. This is

precisely the goal of director Al-Kasseb with LOSS, to shed light on a narrative

that would otherwise remain untold.

In many ways, LOSS functions as a testimony. As the Assad regime in Syria falls,

a collective people in exile rejoice, and yet one cannot help but wonder how

much they, and other victims of war and genocide have lost to the callousnous

of ruling elites.

As Sudan and Gaza suffer the unfathomable horrors of genocide, and Syria’s

future remains undetermined, one can only hope that the international

community does not find itself desensitized to the suffering of a people, but

inspired and moved to action by the stories of those who have survived.

LOSS stars Yara Qassem, Ayman Ta'ma, Hala Sardah, Ammar Shamaa, and

Mohannad Maki. With editing being done by Mikhael Michel, it was lensed by

Abdullah Ashri, and composed by Sami Martini.

Rami Al-Kassab is a director, creative producer, and screenwriter who studied

Film Directing at the High Cinema Institute in Cairo. He created a short film

series titled THE UNCONSCIOUS, consisting of three short narrative films that

address the suffering of refugees and the psychological effects of the war on

immigrants and Syrians residing in the country.

Reflecting on the inspiration behind his film, Al Kassab shares, “The story I tell

in my film is based on a true event that took place in 2017. When I first heard

about it, I was profoundly moved, fuelling my passion to bring the story to life

through a cinematic lens, one that reinterprets the experience and delves into

the complexities of loss—its causes, its impacts, and the search for meaning in

its aftermath; documenting real-life moments that often go unnoticed”

His filmography also includes MEDALLION, THE KASSAB & CAT, MEMORY, and

most recently LOSS.

LOSS is set to world premiere at Morocco’s 35th Carthage Film Festival,

running from December 14 to the 21st.