Production - TUNISIAN, FRENCH - Documentary, Family - 90 minutes
Nine-year-old Zaineb lives with her mother in Tunis. Her father died in a car accident. Her mother wants to remarry with a man living in Canada. Zaineb is told that over there she will finally see snow! But she wants nothing to do with this new man and his country, she decided to hate the snow.
Year of production : 2014 Director(s) : Kaouther BEN HANIA Writer(s) : Kaouther BEN HANIA Producer(s) : Habib ATTIA (CINETELEFILMS), Paul SCHERZER (ISX ISLAND PRODUCTION), Gilles PEREZ (13 PRODUCTIONS)
Nine-year-old Zaineb’s father just died in a car accident. Overnight the house turns from a place of light to a place of dark. Everybody is terribly sad. But one day, Zaineb notices a change at home. Her mother suddenly starts smiling again and a dreamy look comes over her face. At night, Zaineb hears her mother talk on the phone for hours with someone… Turns out that before marrying Zaineb’s father her mother had been in love with another Tunisian man who now lives in Canada. Zaineb realizes that her mother is in love again, and that she will re-marry… …And she begins to hate her mother for it. More than anything, Zaineb doesn’t want to leave her beloved Tunis. But luckily for Zaineb, the move is not happening quickly. The residence permits alone will take years to get. So Zaineb has time to wait and reflect. She has never seen snow, yet she knows she’ll hate it. Her real home is sunny Tunisia, where beautiful Arabic is spoken and where Ramadan and Eid are celebrated. Snowy Canada is a place where they speak a weird kind of French and where ungodly holidays like Christmas and Halloween are celebrated! Covering three years in the life of a charismatic young Tunisian girl and her changing family life, Zaineb Hates the Snow is a beautiful and poignant coming-of-age documentary told through the eyes of a wide-eyed little émigré.
Country(ies) : TUNISIA, CANADA Financing plan : Required : TVs presales and coproductions and world sales agent Start of shooting : April 2009