Heaven Beneath My
Feet
Sandra Madi, 90 minutes,
Documentary, in Arabic, German and English with English subtitles,
Lebanon/France/Jordan, 2020
Followed by a discussion
with the director.
“Heaven Beneath My Feet” is
the story of three Lebanese women, who are struggling to preserve
their right to keep the custody of their children in a country where
secular civil law is yet to exist.
Lina, who lives in the rural
town of Baumholder, Germany, passes her days waiting for the
decision of German officials on her residency permit, so she could
reunite with her five-year-old son whom she hasn’t seen since the
father came up with a way to keep him out of her reach; Fatima who
lives with her parents in the Southern suburb of Beirut and
continuously refuses to give up her four-year-old son after
rebelling against the religious authority court and preferred prison
instead of obeying their laws; and Zainab from the Beqaa mountains
who completely lost her son after her divorce and couldn’t win any
legal battle to see him, lives her days hanging to a bit of hope.
The film had its World
Premiere at Vision De Reel – Media Library Section. It has won the
Special Jury Prize at Aswan International Women Film Festival, 1st
Prize for Best Film at Hollywood Silver Screen Film Festival and
Best Feature Documentary Film at Sevil International Women’s
Documentary Film Festival. The film also participated in The
International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) as well as
Beirut International Women Film Festival.
Film Trailer |