Rough Stage
Maher, a Palestinian man is a former political prisoner. He is an electrical engineer by profession but an artist at heart. He dreams of staging a contemporary dance performance in Ramallah. In order to do so, he must deal with his disapproving family, tight budgets and cultural norms. Set in today’s most contested location, Maher’s story is a parable about a society in conflict, where the real war is between dreams and tradition.
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Toomas JärvetDirector
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Toomas JärvetWriter
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Eero TalvistuProducer
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Maher ShawamrehKey Cast
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Project Type:Documentary
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Genres:Portrait, Society, Arts & Culture, Current Affairs
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Runtime:1 hour 14 minutes
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Completion Date:November 22, 2015
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Production Budget:20,000 EUR
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Country of Filming:Palestine, State of
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Language:Arabic, English
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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:Yes
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Student Project:No
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IDFA International Documentary Film Festival AmsterdamAmsterdam
November 22, 2015
World Premiere
First Appearance Competition Nomination -
Escales Documentary Film Festival, La RochelleLa Rochelle
France
November 10, 2016
Grand Jury Prize -
Estonian Young Filmmaker of the Year Award 2016 for the director and cinematographer
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Festival international FILMER LE TRAVAIL, PoitiersPoitiers
France
February 15, 2017
Public Award -
Pärnu International Documentary Film FestivalPärnu
Estonia
July 10, 2016
Best Estonian Film Award -
DocPoint Helsinki Documentary Film FestivalHelsinki
January 27, 2016
Nordic Premiere -
Tempo Documentary Film Festival of StockholmStockholm
March 9, 2016
Swedish Premiere -
FIDADOC AgadirAgadir
Morocco
May 4, 2016
North African Premiere -
Listapad, Minsk International Film FestivalMinsk
Belarus
November 8, 2016 -
The Panorama of the European Film in CairoCairo
Egypt
November 8, 2016 -
Semaine des cinémas étrangers ParisParis
March 13, 2016
French Premiere -
"Palestine with Love" Festival, BrusselsBrussels
Belgium
May 30, 2016
Belgium Premiere -
Take One Action Film Festival, ScotlandEdinburgh & Glasgow
United Kingdom
September 20, 2016
UK -
Estonian Film Days in UkraineKiev
February 27, 2016
Ukranian Premiere -
Days of Cinema Film Festival, RamallahRamallah
Palestine, State of
October 16, 2016
Sun Bird Award, in competition -
Leeds Palestinian Film FestivalLeeds
United Kingdom
November 29, 2016 -
Estonian Film Week 2016, StrassbourgStrassbourg
France
October 20, 2016
Distribution Information
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Visible FilmCountry: WorldwideRights: All Rights
Toomas Järvet is born in Tallinn, Estonia. He studied law and cultural theory, but always had a thing for visual arts and so he found his medium in photography. Things got more cinematic when he decided to go for the Master Degree in Visual Anthropology at Barcelona University, where he finally was able to match the left and right side of his brain. He was selected for the IDFA Academy (2011) and was also a participant at the Berlinale Talent Campus (2013). His first short documentary “Over and Out” was in competition at the Visions du Reel (2012) and several other festivals. “Rough Stage” is his first feature documentary. At the development/production stage it was selected for the Dragon Forum, DOK Leipzig Co-Production Market and Festival dei Popoli Doc at Work pitching. “Rough Stage” had it's World Premiere at IDFA 2015.
When I look at Rough Stage as a whole, I realize that even though Maher’s path is not an easy one and he must struggle with conflict after conflict on a daily basis, the film introduces the viewer to a different side of Palestine and helps to dispel the stereotype of a masked Palestinian man with knife in one hand and a stones in the other. As Maher, the main character of the film, I also believe that the road to freedom should be paved with non-violent resistance and not with death and destruction.