Italy / 2020 / 13mins / Documentary / Afrikaans and Italian

When disputed presidential elections spur violence against Togo’s citizens in 2005, Joy, a man whose wife and father were killed in the attacks, flees the country. Though horrors he faced in prison and on death-ridden boats towards Lampedusa haunt him and afflict his mental health, he’s grounded by his faith and enduring love for the son he left behind.

Nour Gharbi

Nour Gharbi was born in Paris, France and is currently based in Rome. After a receiving Master’s degree in Broadcast and Cinematic Arts at the Sorbonne, he graduated from the CEFPF Film School in Paris. He worked as an assistant director and as a camera operator before becoming a filmmaker. His first short film was Ricochet, a dramatic gangster-film which won the Special Jury Prize at the Maazzeni Film Festival in 2014. From 2015 to 2016, he directed three other shorts: Mokusatsu, a tribute to Japanese classic cinema, which has won 25 prizes and was selected in over 70 festivals including the Ischia Film Festival and the Foggia Film Festival; The Son Who Left, which was shot with a cellphone during the Cici Film Festival at Castellammare del Golfo; and The Taste of Salt, selected at Cannes’ Short Film Conner and winner of the Best Technical and Cinematic prize at Roma FilmCorto in 2016. In November 2017, Gharbi created his own production company, Raganella Production, with which he is developing new film projects. Learn More