To a Land Unknown

• Mahdi Fleifel
• 106 min
• United Kingdom, Palestine, France, Greece, Netherlands, Germany, Qatar, Saudiarabia
• 2024
• Fiction

Two Palestinian refugees in Athens struggle desperately to move further into Europe in this compassionate and nuanced thriller.

Danish-Palestinian director Mahdi Fleifel makes his feature debut with a gripping story about cousins Chatila and Reda, who have left their family behind in a Lebanese refugee camp to try and pave the way to Europe. However, they find themselves stuck in a bleak Athens neighborhood, scraping together money through small-time scams in hopes of continuing north. When they encounter a lonely 13-year-old boy, they put their own plans on hold to help him move forward. But as their desperation grows, a risky plan for a bigger heist begins to take shape. To a Land Unknown is a deeply humanistic film that refuses to paint its characters as heroes or villains but instead portrays them as people navigating an impossible situation. One of the year’s standout festival hits.

- Johan Blomqvist

• Brott
• Vänskap
• Thriller
• Uppbrott
• Flykt
• Samhälle