Rani Massalha, Director, Giraffada.
Festival Section: Panorama Internazionale.
Fred meets with Rani Massalha on the occasion of the Italian premiere of his first feature film GIRAFFADA competing in the Panorama Internazionale at the 5th edition of the BIFEST – Bari International Film Festival. Massalha chooses to portray the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by narrating the love story between two giraffes in a Palestinian zoo. However, the film’s main focus is to talk about the father-son relationship, in the film the zoo Veterinarian Yacine and his son Ziad played respectively by Saleh Bakri and Ahmad Batra. The film points out that every kid should have the right to act as a kid and be treated as one whatever the social and political situation in the background is. Ziad, this stubborn and sometimes annoying child, will be the reason why his father will finally find the strength to face adversities and fight the conflict, even if it’s only to save a female giraffe and her family.
Reporter: Chiara Nicoletti.