It is winter in Damascus. Sana, with her eight-year-old son, is living alone while her husband works in Saudi Arabia. When Sana runs out of gas to cook or warm the house, she takes a day off to find a gas cylinder. From there begins a trip into the surroundings of Damas, where Sana finds herself brutally confronted with the effects of war.

Festivals & Awards:

Luigi De Laurentiis Award - Best Debut Film Award - Venice International Film Festival 2018

World Fiction Award - Special Jury Prize - Los Angeles Film Festival 2018

Awards for Best Feature and Performance - Vancouver International Women in Film Festival 2019

El Gouna Film Festival 2018

London Film Festival 2018

Filmmaker bio:

Soudade Kaadan is a Syrian director, born in France in 1979, based in London. She studied theater criticism in the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts in Syria and filmmaking at Saint Joseph University (IESAV) Lebanon. Her first feature fiction film The Day I Lost my Shadow was awarded the Lion of The Future for best debut at the 2018 Venice Film Festival, and the jury prize for directing at the LA Film Festival, and screened at various festivals including TIFF, BFI London, Busan and IFFR. Her short film Aziza won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize in 2019.

Learn more about Soudade's life and career on our blog!