Wilaya

(Wilaya)
Pedro Pérez Rosado | Drama, Fiction

2012 | 97 minutes | Spain

With unprecedented access to the Sahrawi community, Pedro Pérez Rosado, provides a voice to this unrepresented group of refugees living in a Saharan refugee camp and their struggle for independence.

Synopsis

Fatimetu is born to a Sahrawi family in a Saharan refugee camp in Algeria and later sent to live with foster parents in Spain. After the death of her mother, she returns to the camp. She has been absent for sixteen years. Her brother now expects her to stay and look after her sister Hayat, who has difficulty walking. Fatimetu, who unlike the other women can drive a car, finds work transporting animals, meat, and bread from one administrative district to another. In time, the Sahrawi people become accustomed to the woman who tears about the desert without a hijab in her beaten up jeep. But Fatimetu is torn between life in the desert and her memories of her family and friends in Spain.

With unprecedented access to the Sahrawi community, Pedro Pérez Rosado, provides a voice to this unrepresented group of refugees and their struggle for independence. The outstanding performance of newcomer Nadhira Mohamed, who was herself born in a refugee camp in Tinduf, landed her the Best Actress award at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival.

Reviews

"Actress Nadhira Mohamed convincingly portrays a young person caught between two worlds. Made on location in Tindouf province, and including a unique original music score, Wilaya is a notable example of emerging independent international cinema." — Linda Frederiksen, Washington State University, EMRO

"With a strong insider's eye for detail (it's clear that Perez Rosado's love and concern for the region is genuine), the pic is always thought-provoking in its exploration of themes relating to exile and how it distorts selfhood, and to the clash between modernity and tradition." — Jonathan Holland, Variety

"Featuring terrific widescreen cinematography by Miguel Morales (Solitary Fragments) and a captivating score by Sahwari singer Aziza Brahim (who plays a neighboring widowed mother), the film boasts enough technical prowess to capture the muted, semi-nomadic lifestyle of its characters." — Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter

"Wilaya offers insight into a little-publicized world and derives most of its dramatic pull from the charismatic presence of lead actress Nadhira Mohamed." — Screen Daily

"Beautifully filmed and provides so much deep conversation…particularly dealing with human rights, identity and gender." — K. Angelique Dwyer, Assistant Professor of Spanish & Latin American Studies, Gustavus Adolphus College

Citation
Main credits

Perez Rosado, Pedro (screenwriter)
Perez Rosado, Pedro (film director)
Morales, José María (film producer)
Mohamed, Nadhira (actor)
Mohamed, Memona (actor)
Sidameg, Ainina (actor)
Brahim, Aziza (actor)

Other credits

Director of photography, Oscar Durán; editor, Iván Aledo; music, Aziza Brahim.


Citation
Cataloging
Keywords
anthropology, refugee, Sahrawi, Sahara, Algeria, foster parent, foster family, adoption, Muslim, Islam, displacement, camp, tradition, arab women, spanish, spanish language, latin america, latin american cinema, latin american film, ibero america, latin, latinx, latino, latina,,migration studies, migrant studies, immigration studies, refugee studies, diaspora studies, resettlement studies, settlement studies, migration, migrant, immigration, refugee, diaspora, resettlement, settlement, refugees, international migration, continental migration, resettling, settlers, settler, migrant, migrant studies, first generation immigrant, first generation immigration, new americans, new spaniards,sociology, anthropology, psychology, sociological, sociological perspectives, conflict theory, human conflicts, sociological thinking,conflict perspective, topics in sociology, sociology topics, sociology studies, social studies, people and cultures, human relations, human relationships, cultural studies, culture studies ,women, womanhood, gender, girl, girlhood, mother, motherhood, female, cis woman, cis female, trans woman, trans female, women’s rights, women’s issues, lady, ladies, gentlewoman, madame, miss, missus, mrs., dame, damsel, ingenue, lass, maid, maiden, belle, gal, ladyfriend, girlfriend, dear, darling, widow, matron, dowager, gender, gender equality, gender pay gap, women’s liberation, women’s rights,culture, identity, identity politics, culture wars, left wing, right wing, intersectionality, identity groups, civilization, literacy, humanism, cancel culture, online culture, cultural revolution, cultural diffusion, culture shock, popular culture, pop culture, material culture, cultural capital, cultural assimilation ,disabilities, challenges, physical disability, mental disability, disadvantages, learning disability, physical disabilities, mental disabilities, learning disability, disability attorneys, disorder, disorders, disabled, disability benefits, mood disorder, anxiety disorder,family, kin, fellowship, household, immediate family, extended family, multigenerational family, multigenerational household, kinfolk, family tree, genealogy, nuclear family, modern family, family tree,iberian studies, iberian peninsula, mediterranean, andorra, spain, portugal, andorra studies, spanish studies, portuguese studies,geography, location, place, country, location, physical place, terrain, spatial awareness, territory, map, place, space, maps, cartography, countries, cities, mountains, territories, states, nations, borders, boundaries, topology, topography,human rights, public rights, equal rights, freedom of expression, basic human rights, united nations, activism, human rights activism, human rights council, human rights commission, universal human rights, universal rights,international relations, global relations, global studies, international studies, international affairs, intercontinental relations, intercontinental studies, foreign studies, foreign relations, national relations, national studies, cross-continental studies, cross-continental relations,wilaya,algeria,sahrawi,refugee,Arabic,refugees,wiliya,Arabic language,smara,tokyo,Pedro Almodovar's,spain,wilayma,arabic study,spanish,abu dhabi,family,pedro almondavar,willaya,Saharan,algeria film,turkey,desert,foster parents,movies,refugee walk,hijab,w[laya,anime,Pedro Almodevor,Zyra,apocalypse now,bread,algeria woman,Pedro Almodóvar,pedro almodova,animated,almodovar, pedro,the coen brothers,1144597,Pedro Costa,drama,Closed curtain,women hijab,facing mecca,Desert Flower; "Wilaya"; Pragda Films
Clips
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Festivals

Berlin International Film Festival
Abu Dhabi Film Festival - Best Actress, New Horizons
Málaga Spanish Film Festival - Best Original Soundtrack

DIRECTOR: Pedro Pérez Rosado

NATIONALITY: Spain

YEAR: 2012

GENRE: Drama, Fiction

LANGUAGE: Spanish; Arabic; Other languages

COLOR / B&W: Color

GRADE LEVEL: Middle School, High School, College, Adults

SUBTITLE/CC: AVAILABLE

AUDIO DESCRIPTION: NOT AVAILABLE

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