J'ai Le Cafard (Bint Werdan)
A woman in a downhearted mood struggles to keep up appearances in front of her chirpy and driven office colleagues. An encounter with a dying cockroach in the office toilet develops into an absurd friendship, becoming the comforting companionship she needs until she realizes its destructive effects on her life.
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Maysaa AlmuminDirector
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Maysaa AlmuminWriter
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Almumin, MaysaaProducer
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Eiman MirghaniProducer
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Enas ElfallalKey Cast"The Woman"
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Mostafa SheshtawyDirector of PhotographyCertified Mail, Ext.Night.
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Severin FavriauMusicRaw, La Belle Epoque, A Prayer Before Dawn
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Emeline AldeguerSound Design
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Ahmed Saad EldeenArt Director
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Project Title (Original Language):بنت وردان
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Project Type:Short
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Runtime:13 minutes 58 seconds
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Completion Date:April 15, 2020
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Production Budget:35,000 USD
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Country of Origin:Kuwait
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Country of Filming:Egypt
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Language:Arabic
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
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Malmo Arab Film FestivalMalmo
Sweden
October 10, 2020
World Premiere
Official Selection -
Ajyal Film FestivalDoha
Qatar
November 20, 2020
Home Premiere
Official Selection -
Tampere International Film FestivalTampere
Finland
March 10, 2021
Finnish Premiere
Official Selection -
Mosters- Taranto horror Film FestivalTaranto
Italy
March 19, 2021
Italian Premiere
Official Selection -
Cinefantasy International Film FestivalSao Paolo
Brazil
April 16, 2021
South American Premiere
Honourable Mention -
Reel Sisters of the DiasporaNew York
United States
October 23, 2021
Invited Film -
FantafestivalRome
Italy
June 2, 2021
Rome
Official Selection -
Ismailia International Film FestivalIsmailia
Egypt
June 18, 2021
Egypt
Official Selection -
Durban International Film FestivalDurban
South Africa
July 22, 2021
Africa
Official Selection -
Macabro: Mexico City International Horror Film FestivalMexico City
Mexico
August 19, 2021
North America
Official Selection -
Santorini International film FestivalSantorini
Greece
August 12, 2021
Greece
Official Selection -
Horrible Imaginings Film FestivalCalifornia
United States
September 3, 2021
USA
Official Selection -
Nashville Film FestivalTenessee
United States
September 30, 2021
South Eastern America
Official Selection -
Imagine Science Film FestivalNew York
United States
October 1, 2021
New York
Official Selection -
Evolution! Mallorca International Film FestivalMalllorca
Spain
October 27, 2021
Spanish Premiere
Official Selection -
MOLINS HORROR FILM FESTIVALBarcelona
Spain
October 28, 2021
Official Selection -
Maskoon International Fantastic Film FestivalBeirut
Lebanon
November 8, 2021
Lebanon
Official Selection -
33 Girona Film FestivalGirona
Spain
November 9, 2021
Official Selection -
South African HorrorfestCape Town
South Africa
October 28, 2021 -
Shorts That Are Not PantsToronto
Canada
November 19, 2021
Canada
Official Selection -
ÉCU - The European Independent Film FestivalParis
France
April 8, 2022
France Premiere
Official Selection -
NOX FILM FESTSalto
Uruguay
January 12, 2022
Uruguay premiere
Special Mention -
Beirut Womens Film FestivalBeirut
Lebanon
March 6, 2022
Official Selection -
Madeira Fantastic FilmFestMadeira
Portugal
March 15, 2022
Portuguese premiere
Best Actress -
Cleveland International Film FestivalCleveland
United States
March 30, 2022
Ohio premiere
Official Selection
Distribution Information
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MAD SolutionsDistributorCountry: KuwaitRights: All RightsCountry: AlgeriaRights: All RightsCountry: DjiboutiRights: All RightsCountry: BahrainRights: All RightsCountry: IraqRights: All RightsCountry: JordanRights: All RightsCountry: EgyptRights: All RightsCountry: LebanonRights: All RightsCountry: Saudi ArabiaRights: All RightsCountry: United Arab EmiratesRights: All RightsCountry: TunisiaRights: All RightsCountry: MoroccoRights: All RightsCountry: OmanRights: All RightsCountry: LibyaRights: All RightsCountry: MauritaniaRights: All RightsCountry: SudanRights: All RightsCountry: ComorosRights: All RightsCountry: South SudanRights: All RightsCountry: SomaliaRights: All RightsCountry: Palestine, State ofRights: All RightsCountry: YemenRights: All RightsCountry: QatarRights: All Rights
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Raina Film DistributionDistributorCountry: Finland
Maysaa Almumin, Kuwaiti, is currently living and working as an Assistant Professor in design in Qatar. She grew up in London where she was trained and practiced in architecture after which she moved to Kuwait and then Qatar where she started, acting and scriptwriting and eventually filmmaking. She has had acting training with directors/ filmmakers/academics Scandar Copti and Daniel Suissa and has been involved in film projects in Kuwait, Italy, Egypt and Qatar. J'ai le Cafard was a recipient of production grants by The Arab Fund for Art and Culture (AFAC) and the Doha Film Institute.
At one point in my life I had nothing to complain about. I had a wonderful husband, great children, a fantastic career, everything I could ever want and need, yet still, for two years I endured sleepless nights, low energy, lack of self-worth and self-loathing. When a doctor diagnosed me with clinical depression, it was a profound moment of realization for me of something that I was unable to recognize.
With the false general impression that depression is only triggered by tragic events, it becomes hard for some to understand that seemingly picture-perfect lives may hide depression, so much so that even the one that suffers depression may equally be as dismissive of all the symptoms they feel. Furthermore, many have become so adept at coping with struggle they become incapable of identifying it and therefore unable to address it.
This film is about that moment of realization, refusing to accept a giant emotional intruder in one's life, taking off that shoe and having a go at getting it out of your life by giving it a wack!
J'ai le Cafard is a French expression, it translates as 'I have the cockroach' and means I am depressed.