There Was Nothing Here Before

Filmstill There Was Nothing Here Before

There Was Nothing Here Before

Avant il n’y avait rien
Yvann Yagchi
Audience Competition
Documentary Film
Switzerland
2024
71 minutes
French,
Arabic,
English
Subtitles: 
English
Audio Description
German premiere

Director Yvann Yagchi, the son of Palestinian migrants, and his Jewish best friend spend a carefree childhood far away from politics on the neutral ground of Switzerland. As adults, both long for religious and ethnic affiliation. Yvann wants to visit Palestine at last and break generations of silence about the fate of his family. His friend moves to a Jewish settlement in the West Bank. Thus begins the story of a failed reunion.
With frankness and patience, Yvann’s film, addressed directly at his former closest confidant, documents his own emotional development: Initial optimism and diplomatic reserve soon give way to an underlying unease. When a Palestinian refugee challenges him to give up the platitudes about striving for truth and formulate his opinion clearly, we realise that there can be only one standpoint for Yvann. There is a rift between the friends, vividly illustrated by animated doodles. Reflections on a lost friendship turn into a search for identity, made immeasurably harder by the ongoing destruction of Palestinian existence.


Daria Janke

Contains mentions of war scenes, death

Trailer DOK Leipzig Logo

Screenings & Tickets DOK Leipzig Logo

29.10.
#2A1
Schaubühne Lindenfels
There Was Nothing Here Before
During Checkout you can apply discounts, your accreditation or season passes
29.10.2024
Schaubühne Lindenfels
#2A1
There Was Nothing Here Before
During Checkout you can apply discounts, your accreditation or season passes
Calendar
30.10.
#362
Passage Kinos Astoria
There Was Nothing Here Before
During Checkout you can apply discounts, your accreditation or season passes
30.10.2024
Passage Kinos Astoria
#362
There Was Nothing Here Before
During Checkout you can apply discounts, your accreditation or season passes
Calendar
03.11.
#722
CineStar 4
There Was Nothing Here Before
During Checkout you can apply discounts, your accreditation or season passes
03.11.2024
CineStar 4
#722
There Was Nothing Here Before
During Checkout you can apply discounts, your accreditation or season passes
Calendar

Credits DOK Leipzig Logo

Director
Yvann Yagchi
Script
Yvann Yagchi, Aurora Vögeli
Cinematographer
Gabriel Sandru, Lukas Gut
Editor
Selin Dettwiler, Christof Schertenleib, Christine Hoffet, Olivia Frey
Producer
Brigitte Hofer, Cornelia Seitler
Sound
Muntasr Abul Alul, Amir Bovermann, Massimo Del Gaudio
Sound Design
Jacques Kieffer
Score
Séverine Vaëna
Animation
Anja Sidler, Geena Gasser

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Paul Thiltges
paul@ptd.lu
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Paul Thiltges
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