Silence of the Shepherd

Thirteen year old Zahra lives in a village on the edge of the desert in the south of Iraq. She leaves home to fetch some water from the small river nearby. She never comes back. With no trace of Zahra, the collective imagination of the village community creates its own tale of the disappearance of Zahra; a tale that belongs to the world of the forbidden. The disappearance of Zahra abruptly and dramatically shakes the moral order of the village. The social fabric and traditions of the society becomes at conflict with itself and its destiny, breeding more and greater disappearances effecting everybody’s life.

 Helwan Moi

Director Mohammed Adel says of his film, “It’s about Helwan, one of the gratest and famous Egyptian cities . It’s about my relationship with the city, and about its changes and transforming and for people there too, as Helwan was a city for Bashas and high class people, but it’s now for sellers, microbus’ drivers, and local people . My story about Helwan since childhood mix with my own story about my family, and my family’s prespective about the city . For sure Helwan has a lot of stories inside, but that’s my story, my own story about Helwan .”